Symphony No 6
by INeverExplainAnything
Summary: AU. Maria arrives at the Captain's door in the middle of the night. Set the same night as the puppet show. Is an alternate version of my story, "Here Comes the Sun".
1. Symphony No 6 - Finale

A/N UPDATE 10/9 So this is AU and kind of OOC - really depends how you look at it. So if that ain't your thing then feel free to toddle along. If you are looking for a lovely fluffy story then this is not for you.

It's an alternate version of my story "Here Comes the Sun", it fits in after _Chapter Eight: Here With Me_ (technically chapter 10 because it has 2 prologues) and then deviates from there. If you haven't read it, it doesn't really matter but it improves the context if you have as I have added a few "missing scenes".

I was listening to Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No.6 in B Minor "Pathetique" IV – Finale" while I wrote it so hence the title. I'd suggest listening to it while you read it but hey, up to you!

Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.

Chapter One:  
Symphone No. 6 - Finale  
 _\- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky_

* * *

 _Pouring himself another measure of whiskey, Georg drank it quickly and headed for his room. He knew he wasn't going to sleep but he should at least try and as he walked past the closed parlour door he heard the sound of Elsa and Max laughing. At least someone was having fun, he thought._

 _Walking into his room, he turned on a lamp and shrugged out of his jacket and tie, rolling up his sleeves. This evening had been…interesting. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he was finding it hard to forget the mental image of his governess with long golden hair, calling to him from the ocean depths. Nor could he shake the look she had given him. These thoughts were interrupted when the sound of his bedroom door opening slowly caught his attention._

Georg stood up quickly and was filled with instant regret as the two glasses of whiskey he had just consumed sloshed about his brain. Trying to blink the fog away, he peered at the door as it swung open softly to reveal a short figure peering through the door.

"Papa?"

Breathing out slowly, Georg squinted through the lamp light and saw the small huddled figure of Marta, a pink toy cat clutched to her chest.

"What is it, Marta?" he asked, moving towards her and bending down slowly in front of her, "Is something wrong?"

Marta gave the toy cat a little hug and said, "I had a nightmare and I was going to go to Fraulein Maria but the shadows on the wall scared me and the thunder growled at me."

Georg tried to ignore the momentary flash of guilt that he felt whenever he was reminded that his children would prefer to seek comfort from the governess and not their own father. There was a clap of thunder and Marta shivered as she held on tightly to her stuffed animal. Standing up, he moved to his bed and grabbed his jacket and threw it over her small shoulders.

"There you go, sweetheart. Come on, I'll take you back to your room," he said soothingly.

Scooping her up, he walked out of his room, headed into the nursery and placed Marta feet down on the soft rug next to her bed. Looking over to the other bed, he saw Gretl was fast asleep with her head at the opposite end of the bed and he gave a small chuckle at the sight.

"Papa? Can I keep your jacket?" Marta asked shyly as he turned back to her and saw her wrapping the jacket around her tightly.

Georg gave her a kiss on the forehead and said quietly, "Of course, now hop into bed. There are no monsters, nothing to be scared about."

Turning a small rabbit shaped lamp on, he stroked her hair back and left the room once she was settled. As he slipped back into his room, Georg rubbed his forehead irritably. Not that he minded that it had been Marta at his door, but for one brief hopeful moment he thought it might have been _her_. Why on earth Maria would come into his room in the middle of the night was beyond him but still, the hopeful thought had been there.

Unbuttoning his shirt, he tossed it carelessly across the room. He could still hear the sound of Maria's small gasp as their fingers touched when he passed her the book in his study this evening. And the sight of her wide-eyed surprise at their touch was constantly replaying in his head. But that look had still been nothing compared to the burning gaze she had given him while he played the guitar earlier this evening.

There was a gentle knock at the door that made Georg pause in his deliciously torturous musings and he turned to see the door open a fraction.

"Uh, Captain?" came Maria's voice.

Pushing the door opening slowly, he watched her head peek in and then slowly the rest of her followed as she stepped into the room. The concerned look in her eyes momentarily stunned him out of his lustful stupor.

"Sorry to disturb you but I went to check on the children when I heard the storm outside and Marta wasn't in her bed. I checked all the other rooms and looked downstairs but I couldn't find her anywhere," she said in a breathy rush, and he saw she was twisting her hands as she gazed anxiously at him.

Walking towards her, unable to believe she was really standing there, he said, "She came here, I just put her back in her room."

She gave a large sigh of relief and he couldn't help but watch as her chest moved with the movement. It made him realise she was still wearing the blue dress, the sleeves of which fluttered slightly as she talked.

"Oh, what a relief!" she said with a smile and he saw her body relax as she seemed to take in the room for the first time.

As soon as the smile had graced her faced, he watched it slip away as she turned to look at him again. She had a peculiar expression on her face and it took him a minute to realise she wasn't quite looking at his face, but at a point below his face.

"Fraulein?" he asked as she continued to stare.

She made a sound only best described as "Ungh" and then seeming to remember herself, gave a small shake of the head. Even in the low lamplight he could see that her face had flushed bright red.

Blinking, she looked up at him and then averted her eyes again, "Uh, yes, Captain?"

"Are you all right?" he asked, taking another step towards her.

"Yes, fine, fine, fine," she said distractedly and went to turn and leave but he had reached the door and gently closed it before she managed to turn around.

"You don't sound fine," he said and he couldn't help the amused tone in his voice.

He knew he should let her leave, but the whiskey was making him act rashly, and truthfully, he didn't want to her to go. He wanted to see her face flush again, and not from embarrassment.

Turning to face him, her eyes determinedly on his face, she said, "I am just fine, Captain. I think I should return to my room now."

Even though she said this, she made no effort to actually leave; she just stood there with that defiant look in her eye. It seemed to say, "I'm not scared of you."

"Have I ever told you that you're a terrible liar, Fraulein?" he drawled and slowly crossed his arms.

The quick flick of her eyes back to chest as he moved his arms didn't escape him and he saw that her face was starting to get slightly pink again.

She drew in a large breath and the sight of her heaving chest once again captivated him. Did she have any idea how alluring she was? Probably not, he decided. But that just made it even more thrilling.

"I believe you may have mentioned it before," she retorted, and then she added, "I am feeling just fine, thank you."

"You just seem," he paused and uncrossed his arms to wave his hand, which he noticed her eyes followed,"…uncomfortable."

She squirmed slightly and she took a step back, which brought her against the closed door. Reaching behind her, she grasped the door handle but before she could turn it he placed his hand over hers.

Her eyes shot up to meet his and he could practically feel the tension hum in the room. It wasn't quite clear how long they stood like that, it could have been seconds, or it could have been minutes. Georg wasn't completely sure what his plan was but he knew he couldn't let her leave. Something had changed between them.

The other night he had been so tempted to kiss her when they had been alone in the kitchen, and then he'd gone and ruined everything by upsetting her. And then he had gone and upset her again when she'd rush into the attic the next day. But she had stayed, even apologised to _him,_ and helped him brave through the memories of Agathe.

It was quite clear he was attracted to her; he'd given up denying that. There was something else to it though - he admired her, respected her and found he cared for her greatly. Georg knew he hadn't sung that song tonight for his children, it had been for her. Because she had asked and the way she had gazed at him with those blue eyes as she gently pleaded through rose tinted lips had made it impossible to say no.

With great care, he took her hand from the door handle and placed her hand over his chest. Her wild, bright eyes gazed down at her hand and then he felt her fingers graze excruciatingly slowly through the scattering of chest hair. There was the gentle roll of thunder outside as he sucked in a breath.

Trying to hold desperately onto whatever thread of self-control he had, Georg asked in a low voice, "Do I make you feel uncomfortable?"

Her face flushed again and still staring at her hand on his chest, she breathed, "No- yes, no – I don't know."

Through the hazy fog in his head, a voice was screaming at him; telling him he was acting like a madman. But he didn't listen - he didn't want to listen. So many years spent buttoned up behind the suit, behind the façade. With agonising slowness, terrified that if he moved any faster she would disappear, he used his free hand to tilt her head up to look at him.

The look in her eyes floored him, it was like they were both back in the parlour room again. But this time, there were no children, no Elsa and no Max. In a rush, his last thread of control snapped and he brought his lips to hers. In one heart stopping moment, neither moved until he felt her fingers curl against his chest and her mouth opened gently under his as she sighed.

Pinning Maria against the door, his mouth moved feverishly over hers and he felt her hand snake up his chest to grip his shoulder. Her lips parted again and he took her bottom lip, tugging it gently. A soft, delighted moan escaped her and he pulled her closer to him, the soft fabric of her dress clinging to his skin. Leaving her mouth, he trailed a blaze of kisses down the column of her neck until he came to the base, which he grazed across lightly with his teeth.

There was another gentle roll of thunder and it seemed to slip into his mind and remind him what he was doing. Pulling back from her, he saw in the low light that her face was flushed, her lips were swollen and her eyes were half closed.

The sight before him was utterly enthralling and he was sure no sane man could have resisted her. He watched as her eyes opened and the numerous emotions flickered across her face. The flashes of guilt, shame and fear on her face were unbelievably painful to see and he quickly withdrew his hands from her face and neck.

"Maria," he said, his voice low and still heavy with arousal, "Please don't be afraid, I'll stop. I'm so sorry- I shouldn't have-"

"Captain, I-I-" she breathed, her eyes locked with his, "I'm afraid because- because I don't want you to stop."

Her honest admission seemed to ignite the flame inside him once more and he lunged for her again, one hand on her waist and the other threading through her soft hair. The kiss was more demanding this time, their lips battling in a hunger of unbridled desire. Parting her lips, Georg deepened the kiss, savouring her like a fine wine. She was exquisite, all his dreams certainly did not compare to the real feel and taste of her. The hand on her waist moved and quickly unhooked the belt that wrapped around her.

"You need to tell me to stop," he heard himself whisper against her mouth through panted breaths.

But she didn't say a word; she just pressed herself more firmly against him, her fingers digging into his shoulders. His hands continued up her back until his fingers found the buttons at the top of her dress and slowly begun to undo them. In one long moment, he pulled back from the attentions on her mouth to peel the top of her dress down her arms.

His fingers skimmed across her exposed shoulders and down her sides, his eyes drinking in the sight of her bra clad chest heaving with each panted breath. Moving of their own accord, he cupped her face again and brought her mouth back to his, needing to taste her again. Maria's hands were threading through his hair and he could hear her making small moans as she writhed underneath him.

The gentle lull of the storm outside was interrupted as a loud crash thundered through the night, and lightning illuminated the room. Maria jolted out of his embrace and her arms hastily pulled the top of her dress to her chest. Her eyes were bright and wild as she gazed up at him and she bit down on her bottom lip as her brow furrowed in panic.

"Oh, I-I am- Captain, I- forgive me," she whimpered and hastily bent down and picked up her belt.

Georg went to reach for her but she stretched a hand out to keep him at bay. He caught a glimpse of her face and the agony on it was unbearable to see, it made his chest ache. Shoving her arms hastily through the sleeves of her dress, she quickly turned and fled out of his room.

* * *

A/N Might keep going but for now it's just a little one shot because I'm a horrible person. - I kept going but am still a horrible person.


	2. Liebestod

So I decided to continue this story. Mostly because I find I really like writing all the angsty UST. If you are looking for a happy chapter, you shall not find it here. Sorry not sorry. I'd suggest a glass of whatever poison tickles your fancy. Or maybe two glasses.

Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.

Chapter Two:  
Tristan und Isolde: Liebestod  
\- _Richard Wagner_

* * *

 _Run._ It was all she could think to do.

Maria shut the door behind her and leant against it heavily as hot tears trailed down her cheeks. She looked down at her hand and dropped the blue sash she was holding as if it had burned her. And she wished that it had. The pressing guilt and shame was unbearable, she felt like she was suffocating. She could practically hear a voice, very reminiscent of Sister Berthe, screaming at her to repent her wicked ways.

 _Run._

Racing to the wardrobe, she flung it open and grabbed the horrible grey dress she'd arrived in. She quickly stripped the blue chiffon off, trying to ignore the whispers of the Captain's touch that still lingered on her skin. As she finished buttoning up the grey dress, she revelled in the horrible itchiness of the garment, the discomfit a small penance for her sin.

 _Run._

The tears continued to fall as she grabbed the worn carpet bag from under her bed and hastily shoved her things inside it. She tried to forget the feel of his mouth against her skin, the taste of him on her lips and the way he had whispered her name like a prayer. The endless questions raced through her mind as she clumsily grabbed for her few belongings. _What on earth had she done?_

The door swung open and she stopped in her mad rush to see the Captain standing there. Nature chosing that moment to allow a dramatic flash of lightning to illuminate his silhouette in the doorway, making him appear like some larger than life Greek God. He looked utterly dishevelled despite putting his shirt back on, she could see he'd missed a few buttons, the shirt wasn't tucked into his pants properly and his hair was a mess. _Hades_ , was her first thought, remembering the mythical stories he had told her during their evening talks. Except she was no Persephone, she'd gone willingly to the Underworld. Straight to Hell.

"Please leave," she rasped out.

The Captain stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "No. Maria, we need to talk about this."

Maria tried her best to control her anguish but her emotions were already running high and so she spat, "There is nothing for us to talk about, _Captain_."

"I shouldn't have put you in such a position, I behaved badly – I behaved worse than that. I behaved despicably. But I don't regret it," he said.

"Well, I do!" she cried, "It was wrong. It was wicked."

In a heartbeat, he was beside her and had his arms wrapped around her. The smell of him was overpowering and the warmth of his body was consuming. She felt like she was drowning in the most delicious way possible.

Tilting her head to look at him, she felt her heart thunder in her chest. The look in his eyes was unmistakeable and she couldn't stop the hot warmth that uncurled in her stomach and between her legs. His lips crashed down onto hers and she tried, oh she tried, to resist but she couldn't. The feel of his mouth once again on hers was torturous and the way he held onto her made Maria feel like he thought he would surely die if he let go of her.

It had to be wrong. It had to be wicked. But it didn't feel wrong and it didn't feel wicked. It felt right and wonderful. He was kissing away her tears, his mouth following the trails down her cheeks, down her neck. Maria could hear him whispering against her skin but she couldn't make out what he was saying. The feel of him invaded every sense, limiting sound to just the mad rush of her blood and the pounding of her heart.

The itch of her uncomfortable dress was compounded by the sensations he was making her feel. She felt hot and her skin tingled as she clung to him. It was all consuming. Maria wanted so much to stay in his arms, to stay there and pretend everything was all right. But she couldn't, and so in one heart wrenching moment she managed to pull away from him.

"I must leave, I can't stay here any longer," Maria gasped through panted breaths, taking another step away from him.

"Leave?" he questioned and the look in his eyes was too painful to look at.

"Yes, I can't stay here, I don't belong here," Maria went on, avoiding his eye and trying her best to speak evenly.

"You can't just leave, please let's just talk about this, Maria" he pleaded.

"No, I-I can't," Maria replied, her voice shaking.

"Please, at least think of the children."

"I am not their mother!" she cried, "I am just their governess – I was only on loan anyway so I had to leave at some point. You can't keep me here."

"You still have a month and a half left, you can't just leave them," he said, "They love you so much, you can't abandon them."

"Like you did?" Maria retorted, seizing on the anger like a shield.

"That was different," he muttered, then he went on, "And I have been doing my best to make up for my mistakes. You can't justify leaving by using me as an example."

"All I wanted to do was serve God and that is what I am going to do," Maria said, her voice straining, "You do not need me. And you cannot keep me here for your own sordid amusement!"

"What? I-I would never-" he flustered, "I asked you to tell me to stop and you said you were afraid you couldn't say no. Maria, I know you are frightened but please just listen to what I have to say."

"No!" Maria pleaded, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I-I know you wouldn't. I mean-" She took a large gulp of air and went on, "What I said earlier was wrong, I didn't mean it either. Nothing you can say will change my mind. I am so ashamed of the way I have behaved and I cannot bear to stay here any longer. I-I- must go back to where I belong and-"

"Maria," the Captain cut in, edging closer to her, "there is something here and you are going to run away from it just because you are scared." His voice rising he went on, "You don't belong in that bloody abbey anymore than I do! And you even said yourself that you didn't think you'd make a very good nun."

He approached closer to her with agonising slowness, as if she were some frightened animal that he didn't want to scare. But she _was_ scared. Not of him, but of the way he made her feel - it was terrifying.

"It was just a joke!" Maria said and she tried to stop the guilt the lie evoked.

"Ha! You are the worst liar," he said, his voice sharp.

Maria felt like she was back on the pegasus landing, dripping wet again. But this was so much worse. She wished she was back there, his clear dislike of her had been so much easier to deal with. It had been so much simpler to fight for the children against their tyrannical father. Now, she wasn't even sure what she was fighting for. The way he looked at her now was so much worse than the arrogant contempt from those early days.

"I am not lying!" she said.

He stared at her and the emotion behind his gaze was too keen to bear but she couldn't look away. It was hypnotising. But she _knew_ she couldn't stay here, it would be so wrong. The safe walls of the abbey were calling her name and she needed to answer the call.

"Yes you are, I can see it in your eyes," the Captain said, taking another step towards her.

"My eyes are none of your business," she rasped out, taking a step back from him, "Please, just let me leave."*

 _Run. I need to run._

"No," he said slowly, "You are not going to leave thinking this is all your fault. I will not let you."

"You cannot tell me what to think, Captain," Maria said, her chest heaving with barely constrained emotion, "What we did should never have happened. It was a mistake. I am going to pledge my life to God. I cannot stay in this house and pretend that nothing happened."

"I am not asking you to pretend nothing happened, Maria," he pleaded.

"Captain, I-I-" Maria floundered, "Well, I can't stay here. It wouldn't be right. You are going to marry the Baroness – you can't go around kissing me! I was told you were a brave and fine man, a naval hero. Naval heroes don't carry on with the likes of me."

"Why do you think so little of yourself?" he asked, his hand grasping hers gently, "I have medals sitting away in that attic declaring my bravery, but I was not brave enough to face my own children. Not until you came and forced me to see reason. You are far braver than I."

"I am not brave, not one bit," Maria whispered, and she could feel the tears welling again in her eyes. "I need to leave, Captain."

"Stop calling me that," he replied. "I have a name."

 _Georg_. The traitorous voice in her head whispered the name and she felt the tendrils of it wrap around her heart. She snatched her hand out of his grasp and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Maria heaved a deep breath and focused looking at her feet. "I think 'Captain' is more appropriate for my station."

"Your _station_?" he repeated in disbelief. "Maria, you are not just the governess. You were never _just_ the governess. You mean so much more to the children than that. You mean so much more to m-"

"No, don't," Maria pleaded, looking back up at him, "Don't say another word. Please. You've been drinking and you don't what you are saying."

"How do you know I-"

"I could taste it," Maria whispered, her mortification evident as she broke eye contact.

"I am not drunk, I may not be completely sober but I am not out of my mind," he said. "I know perfectly well what I am saying."

Maria made the mistake of looking into his eyes again and she swallowed loudly. She had spent her last few years knowing she was going to pledge her life to God. The last few weeks she had thought that being sent here was to be a test, to see if she could do what was expected of her. But she had no idea what this test was for. Or why He would be challenging her like this. It felt like her heart was being ripped in two.

He gave a defeated sigh and said, "Fine. But please at least wait until tomorrow. It is pouring rain. I will take you back to the abbey in the morning when the weather has cleared."

"Thank you," was all Maria could whisper.

He gave her another intense look, opened his mouth as if to speak but then abruptly closed it and then in one quick, military efficient turn, he left.

Sagging to the ground like a puppet cut from its strings, Maria let out a ragged breath. A week ago, they had had their strange midnight encounter in the kitchen. Then, the next day she'd come across him heading to the attic to confront his dead wife's memory, not that she had realised in time this was the case. But he'd forgiven her, even asked her to stay with him after she had barged into the attic. And they'd actually enjoyed a pleasant conversation. It had been heartwarming in its simplicity.

And then, tonight he'd sung to the children. Or at least, that's what the sensible part of her told herself he'd done. The way he had looked at her had been mesmerising. It was like she was seeing him for the first time. This wasn't Captain von Trapp, the arrogant man that had ordered and snarked at her when she first arrived. No, this was Georg von Trapp, the loving father who was trying to rebuild his family. The brave and fine man the Reverend Mother had told her about.

It had been a moment she would never forget. And she would never forget what had happened after, when she'd snuck into his study later to retrieve Liesl's book. He'd been sitting there in the lamplight reading the novel and when he had passed it to her, his fingers had brushed against hers and she had been helpless to stop the gasp that escaped her lips. The jolt that innocent touch has evoked within her had been startling but definitely not unpleasant. And the way he had looked at her had also sent a curious wave of something through her.

Maria didn't know what was happening to her until she'd come to his room in a panic after being unable to find Marta. The sight of him without his usual shirt, jacket and tie had been heart stopping. Her mindless fingers had been wrought over by temptation when he'd moved her hand onto his bare chest. She hadn't been able to stop the impulse to curl her fingers through the hair underneath her hand. The compulsion had been irresistible.

And then he had kissed her and she had forgotten who she was and what she was supposed to become. Nothing had mattered. It had made her heart sing. And that terrified her. She had been unable to come to her senses until she had heard the crash of thunder, the unmistakable sound of God's rage at her appalling behaviour.

Fresh tears rolled down her face as she tried to control her breathing. How had things gotten this way? _I was here on an errand of God_ , Maria scolded inwardly.

Glancing out the window, she could see the storm still raging on. The occasional lightning striking against the mountains. If it wasn't for the weather then she would be halfway to the abbey by now. And if it wasn't for the weather then she wouldn't have gone to his stupid room in the first place. Why was God testing her this way?

Heaving a final sigh, Maria stood on shaky legs and quickly showered - trying desperately to wash the feel of him off her skin. Trying her best to not linger on any spot he had touched. It felt like he had touched her everywhere though, even if he hadn't. She changed into her nightgown and hastily bended down on her knees at the side of her bed.

With her eyes screwed shut and her hands clasped tightly like a small child, she prayed, "Dear Lord, please find it in your infinite heart to forgive me. Please shine Your guiding light so I can find my path back. Please help to me find what it is You expect of me. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

 **xxxxXXXXxxxx**

Cursing, Georg threw his shirt across the end of his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't believe he had been so incredibly stupid. All he had wanted was to steal a kiss and he was now paying a price he wasn't sure he could afford. Sitting heavily on the bed, he dropped his head in his hands and tried to think. But the thoughts were all tangled and they endlessly tumbled about his head.

It would have been far better to live not knowing what she tasted like, how she smelled, how she felt and worst of all, how she sighed. The sound of her moaning and clinging to him was going to haunt him for the rest of his life, accompanied by her anguished face streaked with tears. He'd stolen an angel from Heaven and he wanted to chop off her wings so she couldn't fly back. For he surely was the devil, because he didn't want to send her back. He wanted to keep her.

But he wouldn't. He was not going to force her to stay. Georg was fairly certain Elsa was already getting a little suspicious of the way he interacted with Maria, and Max could be surprisingly knowing when he decided to engage the pound of flesh in his skull. The children were going to be devastated, that much was sure. It had taken him years to find a governess and then he had to be the one to scare off the one they actually liked.

 _"I'm afraid because- because I don't want you to stop."_

And she _was_ scared, that much was evident. Scared of her own feelings. Her guilt and shame warping everything. But her breathy admission had stirred within him something he had thought long dead. It had been honest, he knew, but she was not going to admit it. That much was clear with the way she had vehemently denied it was true. She was going to be a nun after all. A _nun._

It didn't suit her at all, he meant every word he had said. Georg knew she didn't belong locked away in some cloister, unable to spread her wings. It would kill her. But her desperation to cling to that dream seemed so deeply rooted in her. She held onto it so tightly, that place that had become her home after being alone for so long. How could he blame her, though?

It was no use agonising over it, he told himself as he got into bed. As much as he wanted her to stay, he could not force it upon her - it had to be her decision.

 **xxxxXXXXxxxx**

The next day dawned, the sun shining and birds chirping. Georg hastily cursed the good weather and prayed that some trees had been knocked over the roads, or the lake had flooded or Hell had opened up and there was no safe passage to Salzburg's inner city. Against all narrative conventions, none of these things were the case.

Dressing, he hastily made his way to her room and knocked on the door. After a beat of silence, he knocked again but there was still no reply. Grasping the handle, he pushed the door open and stepped into the room. The bed was made and there was no sign of her whatsoever. Panic bloomed in his chest and he headed back towards the family wing.

Searching through each room, he found seven sleeping children but no Maria. Racing downstairs, he searched through the house, hoping against hope that she would be there somewhere. But she was nowhere to be found.

A maid walked by and he startled the girl by grabbing her arm, "Have you seen Fraulein Maria?"

"Oh, Captain, sir, yes - she left early this morning," said the girl, clearly shocked by his odd behaviour.

Dropping the girls arm he straightened his jacket, gave her a curt nod and slunk into his study.

* * *

A/N *The line "My eyes are none of your business" is taken from the real Maria's book.

Cue "hello darkness my old friend"...


	3. The Burning Heart

A/N Thank you to everyone for the lovely reviews! I know this story isn't very happy so I apologise but remember, I did warn I am a horrible person. And I will get much more so as the story continues as I have the whole plot mapped out. Someone asked if this will be happier later but I don't want to spoil anything so if you can, just stick along for the ride. I'm sure we will have a marvellous time. Possibly.

Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.

Chapter Three:  
The Burning Heart (Hannibal)  
\- _Hans Zimmer_

* * *

Anger. He couldn't help the feeling. The heat of it surged through Georg's veins as he sat at his desk, the curtains still drawn and the ticking of the clock his only companion.

He knew it was unreasonable to be angry with her, but he was. She'd just left, not even bothering to say goodbye to the children. It was unfair of him to be frustrated with Maria for something he'd been doing for years. But he thought she was better than that. She had fought for his children: begged him to love them and let them back into his life. Then she goes and flees without a word.

His fingers tapped an irritated rhythm against the top of his mahogany desk. It wasn't just the anger though, surging through him. There was hurt, guilt, and fear. Georg knew his anger was unjustified; he was the one that had given her reason to leave. This thought caused the guilt to resurge and his fingers paused in their agitated tapping. He didn't know what to do, Maria had made it quite clear that she wanted to choose God; she believed her purpose was to serve Him. But he knew this was not the life she was born to live. Nobody as free and spirited as her should be hidden away in a cloistered abbey not experiencing life. Or more so, life not experiencing her.

It had all been a game, he told himself. Up until then it had all been a fun little game. Pushing her buttons, making her blush, making her smile, making her brow furrow into that adorable little frown when he poked fun at her. It had been harmless.

Georg had provoked her last night. He had practically cornered her in his room, very much aware of her innocent attraction to him. So, he had decided in his whiskey haze to play a game. He had lost. And suddenly it wasn't a game anymore.

Glancing at the clock, he saw it was nearly nine. He had been sitting at his desk for nearly two hours agonising over the whole ordeal. The children were sure to rise soon and then the questioning would begin. What was he supposed to tell them? That he'd tried to seduce their governess and frightened her away.

There was the sound of small feet rapidly running through the foyer and then Marta was running into his study.

"Papa!" cried the little girl excitedly as she ran to the side of his desk.

"Good morning, Marta," he said, turning in his chair to face his daughter.

"Do you like my hair?" she asked, doing a little twirl.

He took in her neatly milkmaid braided hair and gave her a small smile. "Very nice, darling. Did Liesl do that for you?"

"No," said Marta, "Fraulein Maria did."

"What?" Marta's smile faltered at his sudden change of tone and he quickly amended in a softer voice, "Fraulein Maria did this just now?"

Marta nodded, "Yes, she came and braided our hair, she's still doing Gretl's. She gave us some flowers too."

Looking closer, Georg saw that there were a few blooms of edelweiss wrapped in his daughter's crown of hair. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest. Giving Marta a distracted pat on the head and sending her to breakfast, he stood up and headed out of his study.

Walking hurriedly up to the nursery, he entered the bedroom to see Maria sitting on Gretl's bed as she finished braiding the girl's hair. They both looked up as he entered, but he noted Maria quickly looked back down and avoided his eye.

"Good Morning, Papa!" said Gretl happily.

"Morning, Gretl," he said, somewhat stiffly as he tried to force a smile towards her.

When Maria finished braiding Gretl's hair, the little girl turned, gave Maria a kiss on the cheek and ran downstairs. There was a heavy silence as Maria stood up and with careful movements begun to tidy up the few errant clothes and toys scattered about the room.

"Where were you this morning?" he finally asked.

She paused, her back to him as she hung a dress back in the large wardrobe on one side of the room. "I went to the mountain, I needed to clear my head."

"Why didn't you tell someone where you went?" Georg asked, taking a step towards her, "I thought you'd left."

"I didn't think anyone would notice I was gone," she said, her voice was devoid of emotion and she still had her back to him as she stood in front of the closet.

"How could you-," Georg stopped and shook his head, "Maria, listen."

"No," she said, shutting the wardrobe door and finally turning to face him, "You listen to me, Captain." She sucked in a deep breath and he watched her hands clench briefly into fists. Her eyes were bright and there was a determined look in them. "This morning I had a chance to think some things over and I realised leaving would be a selfish thing to do. Those children don't deserve it. So I will stay, until September, as agreed. But I am doing this for them. And only them."

Georg was stunned; he was surprised she was here at all – let alone that she would still stay. She had seemed so adamant about returning to the abbey last night that he had expected that she had gone back there this morning.

"Thank you," he said, taking another step towards her.

"Do not thank me, I am simply doing my job," she said.

"But, I still think we should talk about what happened last night. I want to apologise again," Georg insisted and he saw her face crumple before she managed to try and hide it. Not that she was any good at hiding her feelings. Her face was such an open book. But he could tell she was trying very hard not to show her emotions.

"No apologies needed. I think it's best we forget about it and move on. It was simply an error of misjudgement," she said.

"What? What happened to not being able to pretend nothing happened?" he questioned.

"Please," she implored, "Can we just forget about it?"

"No, Maria, I can't," he said, "I will not forget. And neither will you." She dropped her gaze at this and he watched her brow crease. "But I will accept your request for the children." _And because I don't want you to leave_ , he added in the privacy of his own head.

"The children," she echoed.

Not knowing what else to say or do, Georg simply gave an awkward nod of the head and left the room. Of course he was happy that she was back and she hadn't left him, but she clearly was not comfortable. It was so hard to believe that only yesterday afternoon he had seen her smiling and laughing. There had been no joy or humour in her face today, just a resigned sort of determination that pierced him right through the heart.

Heading downstairs, he came across Elsa, who was walking around the foyer with a thoughtful look on her face. A wave of guilt surged through him at the sight of her, he had barely given her a second thought. It also reminded him that he had agreed to throw her a party, which he was sorely regretting.

"Oh, darling!" she said, grabbing him possesively by the arm, "There you are."

"Good morning, Elsa," he said smoothly, giving her hand an idle pat.

"I'm going to go into town and see if I can start getting this party organised," she said with a wave of her hand. "I know it's not Vienna but I am sure I can manage something." Elsa gave a low laugh and continued, "So, don't worry, darling, I will sort everything out and you won't have to do a thing."

Struck by inspiration he said, "Well, how about we go to Vienna for a few days so you can get everything you need?"

Her face lit up and she squeezed his arm, "Oh, Georg, that'd be wonderful! But are you sure? I know you've been spending an awful lot of time with the children, do you want to leave them on their own?"

"They have their governess, they'll be fine," Georg said evenly.

Yes, Vienna. If he could get away with Elsa for a little while he could try and give Maria some space and also sort out his own head. It would be for the best.

 **XXX**

Still standing in the nursery bedroom, Maria heaved a sigh of relief once the Captain had left. The temptation to run had come back as soon as she saw him. _I should have just gone back to Nonnberg_ , she told herself. It would have been easier. But she wasn't sure what she would have told the Reverend Mother, how could tell that kind face what she'd done?

But no, this morning (after very little sleep) she had risen with the sun and ventured up to the same spot her and the children had gone to for their picnic. And standing there, watching the summer sun shimmering over the rolling green fields and glint off the city, it had moved her. It had been like a sign from God, showing her the beauty of the world and that she needed to not think about herself.

After all, once she took her vows there would be no place for such selfish thoughts. She would be a part of the sister's way of life, well and truly. And those precious children, who she loved so very much, did not deserve to be abandoned just because she had made a selfish mistake. Her actions were not their fault; she would not come between them and their happiness. All she had to do was focus on them and limit any interaction with the Captain. He had the Baroness to think about anyway, and certainly there would be an engagement soon and none of this would matter.

These thoughts hurt, and it was painful to think of the way he had held and touched her. But he had been drinking; she had tasted it – to her utter horror. No matter what he said, he could not have been thinking properly. She knew about the effects of alcohol after hearing many stories from the sisters about poor souls torn by drink.

As she went to put a small cat toy back on Marta's bed, she saw there was a dark grey jacket lying there. Picking it up, she recognised it was the Captain's. Why it was in the nursery room she didn't know but she couldn't help but run her fingers over the material. The scent of him wafted from it and it stirred within her the memories of last night. Her heart raced as the images flicked through her mind. It was utter torture.

Scrunching her eyes tight, she shook her head and slowly folded the jacket, leaving it on the side table next to Marta's bed. There was no way she was going to seek him out and return it, and definitely no chance of her going anywhere near his room to put it back there herself.

With a determined sigh, she turned and left the room.

 **XXX**

CAPTAIN. CHILDREN ARE WELL. WHEN DO YOU RETURN?

Georg stared at the telegram from Maria. He'd received it this morning and had folded it meticulously and put it in his jacket pocket. It was eight words, nothing more and nothing less but the sight of it filled him a burning sadness. It was the strangest sensation, like being lost at sea but still knowing where you were. Or, that you knew perfectly well where you were but everything around you didn't. It made him itch to be back home in Aigen.

And while he knew she was only asking for the sake of the children, he wanted to pretend that she wanted to know when he'd return back. He had been gone a week already. And he knew he was putting off returning due to his feelings towards her. But he could only hide in Vienna for so long.

And Vienna was still the same, and so were Elsa and her home. Everything was the same, but him - it wasn't enough of a distraction like it used to be. The champagne wasn't strong enough, the gossip not engaging (not that it ever really had been) and the dancing utterly terrible. He just didn't want to be here, and he had a feeling he was doing a poor job at hiding it.

He'd catch himself tuning out when Elsa was talking until she repeated his name several times and reprimanded him silently with a perfectly raised eyebrow. Usually he would hasten to beg her forgiveness but he found he didn't care to get it. The normally charming and perfect hostess was growing on his nerves and he found her conversations boring and repetitive – always conversing about the same bores he detested. Some maid had slept with some Count's son or some Duke had lost all his money gambling. Or she was going over the plans for the party: the food, the music and the guests. _Blah, blah, blah_ was all Georg heard.

Georg had finally thrown away the façade that he'd created for himself out of grief and let himself become the man he'd once been. And now he was struggling to put it back on. And it was all because of _her_. He missed Maria, he wanted to talk to her, wanted to hear her laugh and see her smile. Over the past few weeks he'd grown so accustomed to her that being without her made him realise how much so this was.

Since Agathe had died, he hadn't thought he'd ever find such happiness again. Not that he was sure that he did love her, but he certainly felt something more than a simple case of attraction. Georg had been perfectly content to marry Elsa and give his children the socially acceptable mother. But now, he wasn't sure he could go through with his plan. As a Captain, he had commanded his ships with precision and discipline, instilling order as a way of life. Everything had been meticulously planned. But he was struggling to abide by these same rules in his daily life, no matter how much he tried.

"Georg?"

Startled out his melancholy reverie, he looked up to watch Elsa twirl about in a light blue dress. They were inside one of the fine couturiers in Vienna and Georg had been waiting, somewhat impatiently, as Elsa tried on gown after gown.

"It's lovely, Elsa," he said automatically.

She put an elegant hand on her hips and said, "You said that about the last four dresses, darling."

Sending her his most charming smile, he replied smoothly, "Well, they all were. I don't think it's my fault everything looks exquisite on you, Elsa."

"Well, darling," she said, smiling, "When you put it like that. I guess a girl should be flattered." She gave a laugh and checked her reflection in the mirror. "Hmm, not sure about the blue. It's such a simple colour, not glamorous enough I think."

"I like blue," Georg said without thinking, his mind filled with the image of Maria in her delicate chiffon dress.

"Yes, darling, but it's a bit too wholesome for me," she laughed, skimming her hand over a few more dresses. "I think I will try that gold one on again."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Georg leaned against the wall of the boutique. All stores need a chair, he thought, for the poor men that have to deal with indecisive women. Finally, Elsa had decided on a dress, some flashy gold gown with some ridiculous fluff of material on the side – the importance of which Georg did not understand.

Thinking back on the telegram, that seemed to be burning a hole in his jacket pocket, he mulled over the reason for its delivery. He had messaged Aigen, requesting the children's measurements so that Elsa could help him find something for them to wear to the party. But mostly, it had been a reason to contact Maria. After he'd replied, thanking her for the children's measurements, he'd ask her health and the children's. Why he had expected a longer reply was beyond him, but he had hoped for something more. Hope was a terrible thing.

He wandered the store aimlessly as Elsa ordered some clothes for the children. Georg was bored out of his mind until he came across a rack of dresses at the back of the store and one caught his eye. It was blue in the bodice but the sleeves and skirt were a white fabric with a green and red floral pattern on it. The dress was a traditional dirndl and he picked it up, turning it this way and that.

"Can I help you, sir?" enquired the shop owner.

"Ah, yes," Georg said, still staring at the dress, "I'll take this one as well, thank you."

"No worries, sir," the shop owner said with a nod of her head.

Elsa had walked over and rose an inquisitive eyebrow at him, "Who is that for, darling? I've ordered all the dresses for the girls."

"Fraulein Maria," Georg said casually.

"The governess?" Elsa asked incredulously.

She had to wear something, Georg reasoned to himself. And he wasn't sure he could bear the sight of her wearing the blue chiffon dress. No, she needed something new to wear and it was a simple dress, probably more befitting to someone Liesl's age but he just knew it would suit her. The colours were lovely and it was beautiful in it's simplicity. Just like Maria.

"She needs something to wear, she can't wear the dresses she has to a party," Georg said.

"Hmm, I guess so," Elsa said with an elegant shrug of the shoulders. "It's a bit old fashioned though."

"Old fashioned? It's just traditional, Elsa," Georg said, slightly irritated.

"Whatever you say, darling," Elsa smiled, "I'm just glad you don't want me wearing something like that – oh, could you imagine!"

 _No, I couldn't_ , Georg thought. As soon as this blasted party was over, he was going to have to have a serious conversation with Elsa. There was no use, he knew, trying to live this lie. It wasn't fair to her, but he wasn't brave enough to tell her before the party.

After all, half of Salzburg had been invited and it was too late to cancel.

 **XXX**

The Captain had been gone a week and while Maria was sure he'd left for her sake, all it had done was make her feel even worse. She had caused him to leave his own home and children behind because of her actions. The children were constantly asking when their father was returning and so Maria had finally sent him a telegram asking about his return.

It had been relatively easy to stay in the regular routine with the children, keeping busy was all that mattered. Sometimes she'd catch herself laughing at something Louisa said or smiling stupidly at some loving words sent her way from Gretl, and she could pretend nothing had changed. But then, she'd feel the joy leave her body at the end of her day as her feet automatically made their way to the Captain's study.

She had been so proud about a wonderful poem Brigitta had written that she had walked up to the Captain's study door, ready to show him and then she had remembered. It was startling how easy it could be to forget but then lying in her bed at night, it seemed impossible not to remember.

Lost in thought about plans for the next morning's lessons, she wandered through the library shelves. Idly picking up a few books here and there as she walked through the room.

"There you are."

The books she had in her arms dropped to the ground in her fright and she turned to see the Captain standing in the library. He was standing very stiffly, as if he was scared she might bolt. Which was pretty tempting.

"Hello, Captain," she said, bending down to pick the books up.

"Liesl said you were in here getting some books for tomorrow's class," he said as he walked over and helped pick the fallen books. Flicking through one, he raised an eyebrow at her, "Greek mythology?"

"Oh, um," she begun, "Well, I was telling them about the stories you've told me and Brigitta was really interested in them so I thought it would be a great lesson for our history class tomorrow."

This was fine, she said to herself, I can just talk about the children. This is a safe topic and perfectly fine to converse about.

"I'm sure Brigitta would love that," he said, giving her a small smile. "I just wanted to let you know that there is a dress in your room for you." At her curious expression, he added, "For the party – it's just simple but you will still need something to wear that's suitable."

"Oh, right, thank you, Captain," she replied.

"Well, don't let me get in your way," he said, extending the books he'd picked up.

Accepting the books, making sure not touch him at all, she just nodded and tried to offer a smile. She watched as he left and she couldn't help the sinking feeling in her stomach. Which was utterly ridiculous. She wanted him to leave her alone, it would make things a lot easier – and it had been a lot easier while he was gone.

As much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, she had missed talking to him every weeknight. But she was here to do God's will and prepare these children for their new mother. Not stand around with her head in the clouds thinking inappropriate thoughts. And buying her a dress meant nothing; he just didn't want her to embarrass him in front of all his high society friends. The Captain would probably have expected her to turn up in some dress made of drapes.

After all, she was the governess, nothing more.

* * *

A/N Not much happening in this chapter but the next one will be more interesting.


	4. The Heart Asks Pleasure First

A/N Sorry. It's all I have to say.

Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.

Chapter Four:  
The Heart Asks Pleasure First (The Piano)  
 _\- Michael Nyman_

* * *

"Captain?"

Georg looked up from working at his desk to see Maria standing in front of him, wringing her hands nervously. His heart thudded at the sight of her; she was wearing the gauzy blue dress and it seemed to flutter around her as if blown by a supernatural breeze.

"Yes?" he asked, putting his pen down and standing up.

He watched her chest rise as she drew in a breath and said, "I wanted to apologise for leaving the other morning. I never meant to make you worry."

"It's fine, Fraulein, no need to trouble yourself over it," he said gently as he moved around the side of his desk.

"But I do," she went on, still twisting her hands, "I mean, I've been thinking about what you said - about starting over?"

"Oh?" Georg asked, unsure what she was going to say.

Maria took a step closer to him and said, "I don't want to start over again. I don't want to pretend nothing happened anymore." She looked up at him through her lashes and he was momentarily stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing. "I-I want you."

Her breathless whisper surged through him and sent his blood on fire. Closing the distance between them, he pulled her against him and his lips claimed hers possessively.

There was nothing but the feel of her against him, her hands gripping his shoulders and the sound of her panted breaths hot against his mouth. Twisting them both around, he pushed her against his desk. Moving his hand underneath the skirt of her dress he let his fingers graze lightly over her stockings until he finally found bare skin. He felt her fingers dig into his shoulders and his hands paused, unsure whether to go any further.

"Please…" she whispered, her voice thick with desire.

Swallowing hard, Georg let his hand travel further up the inside of her thigh until he felt the heat between her legs. Pressing his hand against her, she moaned and pushed up against him.

A loud crash of thunder broke through the lusty haze and Georg found himself alone, in his bed and painfully aroused. Letting out a groan, he flung back the covers, stalked to the bathroom and turned the shower on. Standing underneath the pounding water, he let the cold seep through his skin.

Every night he dreamt of her. It was getting so out of hand that he both dreaded and eagerly anticipated going to sleep at night. Drinking didn't help either; all it did was give him a headache the next morning. And if anything, it made the dreams even more amorous.

He had arrived back from Vienna a few days ago and to all outside appearances, everything seemed just the same as before he had left. But it wasn't. There was an uneasy tension that lingered just on the edge of awareness. It was obvious it wasn't going to go away, no matter what he did. Yesterday though, he thought that some progress had been made in trying to repair the strained relationship he now had with Maria.

 _Georg was trying to do some work in his study when the sounds of many running feet in the foyer caught his attention. Leaving his work behind he walked out to find his children, along with Maria, all standing around talking loudly. He was met with a chorus of "Hello, Papa!" from his children as they noticed him._

" _Papa, do you want to play?" asked Marta, her face turned up at him expectantly._

" _Play?" he questioned._

" _Yes, we are going to play hide-n-seek inside since it's still raining," Marta said, then she added proudly, "I'm 'it'."  
_

" _Oh, I don't know, Marta," he begun, with a glance at Maria who was avoiding his eye, "I wouldn't want to intrude, besides I am sure I would be truly terrible."_

" _That's okay! You can have a partner," Marta said, "Fraulein Maria is really good at hiding. She can help you."  
_

 _With another glance towards Maria, who was doing her best to keep the smile on her face, Georg said, "Oh, Marta, I'm sure Fraulein Maria doesn't want to have to deal with me."_

" _It'll be fun," Marta insisted, "Please? You haven't played with us since you came home."_

 _Unable to say no, Georg nodded. After all, he could just hide somewhere obvious so that it would be easy for Marta to find him.  
_

" _And don't go easy on me," Marta added, as if she had read his thoughts, "I'm seven, you know, I'm a big girl." And then she put her little hands over her face and began to count down from a hundred._

 _The rest of the children scattered quickly in all directions, leaving Georg behind with Marta and Maria._

 _Turning to face her, he said with forced cheerfulness, "Well, lead the way."  
_

 _Offering a polite smile, Maria turned and headed down towards the kitchen. When they entered she then pointed at the large pantry on the other side of the room.  
_

" _You can hide in there," she said.  
_

 _She then turned and went to open another storeroom, which looked to be full of cups and plates, and he couldn't help the sinking feeling that settled in his stomach. He had thought she would hide with him, which was absurd. Over the past few days, she had been studiously ignoring him, so why would she want to stand in a dark enclosed space with him? Walking over to the door and closing it behind him, he stood in the dark and tried to not let his thoughts consume him in the pressing blackness of the pantry._

 _In the next minute, he heard someone run in and then the voice of Kurt cried, "No!"_

" _What's wrong, Kurt?" he heard Maria ask._

" _Louisa stole my hiding spot and I was going to hide in here!" the boy complained._

" _We can share, it's all right," Maria said, "Come on."_

" _Can't you go in the pantry and I can go in here?" Kurt said, "I don't want to share, Louisa says you always help me and I can never think of somewhere on my own."_

" _Oh, but Kurt-"_

" _Please, Fraulein!" begged Kurt._

 _Georg felt his heart speed up as he heard the sound of her shoes tapping lightly against the stone floor as she approached the door. Light spilled in as she opened it and the look on her face was a picture of discomfit. She stepped in and closed the door. Darkness fell again and Georg stepped further back in the pantry, trying to get as far away as possible from her._

" _Don't say anything," Maria whispered._

 _And so he didn't. And the seconds dragged by. He was so painfully aware of her, her scent was filling his senses and he repeatedly flexed his fingers to try to quell the impulse to touch her._

 _Georg wasn't sure how long he could stand the oppressing silence until he heard her barely audible whisper, "I'm sorry."_

" _Why are you apologising?" he whispered back gently._

" _I-I made such a mess of things," she said, and he could hear the shame in her voice._

" _You didn't, I did," he said._

" _No," she said, and he heard her voice shake, "I'm supposed to be devoting my life to God. The way I acted was appalling."_

 _Georg noted her use of the word "supposed" but didn't question it. Whether she had said it consciously or subconsciously, he wasn't going to rehash that fight again._

" _Fraulein," he said carefully, "I know this may come as a shock, but you are human." She didn't say anything but he could hear her uneven breathing and he tried to keep his voice gentle as he continued, "Humans make mistakes, not that I think what happened was a mistake, but I will respect your religious vocation. I made so many mistakes with the children, and they forgave me. And I still believe I did not deserve to be forgiven so easily. But you seem to think I do. So I don't see why you can't apply that same compassion towards yourself."_

 _It was a lot easier, he found, to be able to talk to her in the darkness. And it made him wonder if that's why she had chosen to say something now, when she couldn't see him. There was just silence but he felt like some of the tension had eased a little._

 _Unable to hold himself back any longer, he hesitantly reached for her in the darkness and found her hand._ _There was a small intake of breath from her as she jumped a little at the contact but she didn't say anything or pull her hand away. Gently, he rubbed his thumb over her hand. She did nothing for a moment until every so slowly, she moved her fingers slowly in response._

 _It was nothing more than a reassuring gesture and in the darkness it was easy to forget all that had happened and to simply enjoy the moment for the comfort that it was._

" _I'm not going to tell you what to think or what to do, we all know how well that would work," he said and allowed himself to give a small low laugh, "But I think you are being too hard on yourself. We both are at fault. And if it's easier, how about we start over?"_

" _Start over?" she repeated._

" _Yes," he said and then shifting his hand slightly over hers, he grasped her small hand and shook it in the darkness as he said, "My name is Captain von Trapp."_

 _There was silence until she finally said, "Maria, Maria Rainer."_

" _It's a pleasure to meet you, Fraulein Maria."_

 _Slowly she pulled her hand away and Georg immediately felt the loss of the contact but said nothing. He wasn't sure if anything would change but it was easy to pretend in the darkness. But it did feel like something had shifted. Like the day he'd first returned from Vienna and they had that terrible argument, well, three arguments, and a tentative truce had been formed._

 _It felt like it had then, but different. He tried to think of the right words but he couldn't. It was too indescribable. She was indescribable. Despite how she always wore her heart on her sleeve, she was still such a mystery. It was so hard to gauge how she was going to react to something._

Returning back to the present, Georg stepped out of the shower and redressed. Still too agitated to sleep he decided to head downstairs, unable to bear the thought of being in his room. The image of her pinned against his door, the top of her dress pooled at her waist and her chest heaving was still impossible to forget when he was in there.

His feet automatically took him to his study but then he stopped, the visions from his dream coming to haunt him now. Trying to think of another room to escape to, he found he couldn't. The kitchen was out of the question. It either reminded him of the darkness of the pantry or their little midnight encounter three weeks ago. The parlour room was his next thought but once again she had imprinted herself on that room. The memory of her gaze as he had sung would always be there, a part of that room forever. He would never be able to look at that wall and not see her standing there. The library? No. He'd spent hours with her in there showing her all different books and talking until late.*

With a frustrated sigh, he paced across the foyer and opened the ballroom door. The image of her in that ridiculous hat and ill-fitting dress flit across his inner eye, but he ignored it. He remembered the anger he had felt when he had first found her in here, it seemed like a lifetime ago. She had grated on his nerves so much that first day, he remembered how he had wanted to throw her into the lake so he could wipe her stupidly wholesome smile off her face.

He would give anything to see that smile now. Anything.

Heading towards a dark corner of the room, he walked over to the piano and tore the heavy sheet off it. He hadn't gone anywhere near the ballroom, let alone the piano, since Agathe had left him. Too consumed by his own grief to deal with his memories. Sitting down at the piano, his fingers lightly glossed over the keys. And then he slowly began to play.^

He let the sound of the music flow through him, letting the notes fill the room as he fingers regained their strength until he was practically slamming down on the ivory keys. It had been so long since he had sat at this piano and played. He had believed that shutting music away would make him be able to deal with his grief and sadness, but he had been wrong. He had been wrong about so many things. It had been a crime to shun music.

As his fingers continued their vigorous dance across the keys, he felt the tension begin to ease a little and marvelled in the power of the music. There was the soft lull of the thunder rolling across the sky and he sighed as he let the notes take over.

 **XXX**

The day of the party arrived and Maria went about her day as usual, trying to keep the children occupied so they were out of the way as the household bustled. There had been such a flurry of activity in the last few days with so many people coming and going as the house prepared for the huge party. It had been easy to get caught up in it all and she was able to forget about her inner turmoil. The excitement was catching and she found herself as eager as the children waiting for the day of the party. But then yesterday, she had walked past the kitchen and overheard Frau Bremer and Frau Schmidt talking, and her fragile happiness had been shattered.

 _"Mathilde, have you heard anything?" she heard Frau Bremer ask._

 _"Not yet – though I won't be surprised if it is announced at the party," she heard the housekeeper whisper back, "I mean, why else would he be throwing this party for her?"_

 _"That is true, I mean he was gone for a week with her in Vienna," said Frau Bremer and then she added, "I doubt they were just organising the party."_

 _"Ursula!" exclaimed Frau Schmidt._

 _"Come on, Mathilde, they've both been married before," retorted Frau Bremer, "Surely he doesn't just keep her around for her sparkling personality."_

" _Really, Ursula! You should watch what you say," scolded Frau Schmidt._

Utterly horrified, Maria had fled down the hall and tried to control her breathing, as well as fight the tears that had welled in her eyes. Of course she knew that the housekeeper and cook were talking about the Captain and the Baroness. But what Frau Bremer had implied had shaken Maria more than she cared to admit. The thought of him touching the Baroness the way he had touched her made her feel sick. It dawned on her that what she was feeling was jealousy and hurt. And she had no right to feel that way.

The first night she had arrived here she had been told, by Frau Schmidt, that the Captain was thinking seriously of marrying Baroness Schraeder. And she had been so elated to hear that the children would have a mother again. But then things had changed. As she had grown closer to the children, she had worried over how hard it would be to leave them behind and how suitable a mother the Baroness actually would be. And then there was the way she was feeling towards the Captain. At the time she hadn't realised what it was, but she knew now it had been a silly crush - a little daydream, perfectly harmless. Until _that_ night. Suddenly it was anything but silly. It had been too real. And it had been frightening.

After the strange encounter in the kitchen pantry a few days ago, things had been a little less tense. She noticed that he tried to treat her the same way as he did before. He would bark out "Fraulein!" if she did something wrong – like the other day when she had let the children into the ballroom to practice dancing for the party. They had been playing some music on the large gramophone when he had slammed the doors open. She had been about to show Kurt how to dance the Ländler when the Captain had ushered them out of the room, saying the decorators were here to ready the room for the party.

She still tried her best to ignore him wherever she could. In her head, the interlude in the pantry was something of a dream, a moment outside time. But she had appreciated his gesture to start fresh. Not that you really could start again, she told herself. It had been so much easier in the darkness to talk to him, without those blue eyes piercing her. Or to see his lips quirk into that infuriatingly handsome smirk. Yes, it had been easier.

Maria had believed her whole life had been about getting to Nonnberg Abbey and becoming a nun, dedicating her love and life to God. Now, she so unsure of what and who she was supposed to become. It made her feel so guilty. What were you supposed to do when you thought the life you were meant to live turned out to be wrong?

Heaving a sigh, Maria shook her head. There was no use dwelling on it, at least not today. Tomorrow, she would go to the abbey and speak to the Reverend Mother. As much as she dreaded it, she knew she needed some guidance right now more than anything. But today, with the excited children and the house thriving with the anticipation of the party, Maria was going to enjoy it. Wholeheartedly.

 **XXX**

Standing in the foyer with Elsa, pleasantly greeting guests, Georg tried to resist the temptation to yank Elsa's possessive grip off his arm. He felt like he was nothing more than an accessory to her. It made him wonder what on earth he had been thinking with his plan to marry her. Of course he still cared for her somewhat, she had done a lot for him. But now, he realised he had just used her as a means to get over his grief. Which had been utterly unfair to her.

"Good evening, Captain von Trapp," came a sharp voice.

Groaning internally, Georg put on his most charming smile and said pleasantly, "Good evening, Dame Vogel, so pleased you could join us this evening."

Dame Vogel gave him a sour look and then continued to talk pleasantly to Elsa all the while ignoring Georg. The woman was truly awful, she reminded him strongly of Agathe's grandmother - who had been a tyrannical old hag. He had completely forgotten that some of Elsa's so called "friends" were in attendance tonight.

After greeting the rest of his guests, he meandered his way through the throng to try and get away from the main crowd. He casually observed all the guests slowly spilling out of the foyer and into the ballroom, the sound of the ochestra floating through the air mixed with occasional laughter. He was certainly regretting ever agreeing to hold this damn party. It had been unwise to let Elsa sway him. But the children had been so excited at the idea, especially the younger ones who had never even been to one before.

Some time passed until he spied the children leaving the dining room. He watched as Gretl tore off into the ballroom with a delighted shriek and it gave him a satisfied thrill to see how offended some of the guests were at his youngest daughter's behaviour. Maria followed them all out, a happy smile on her face as she chatted animatedly with Liesl. It filled his heart to see her smiling. But then he saw it drop when she started to peer around curiously and he spotted the source; it was Dame Vogel, who making a bee line directly towards her. Georg could see the scrutinising look on the old witch's face as she advanced on Maria and begun talking to her. Approaching, he managed to catch the tail end of the conversation.

"…Try and keep these children from running everywhere – if you can manage that, dear," said Dame Vogel in a patronising tone.

The woman then turned around and headed back towards the ballroom, leaving Maria and Georg the only two in the foyer.

"I wouldn't pay that old witch any attention, Fraulein," he said as he approached Maria.

Startled, Maria turned around and said, "I don't think you should say that sort of thing, Captain."

"Shouldn't I? I guess not. I never got the hang of what I should and shouldn't say," he said thoughtfully and then at the stricken look on her face, he added, "Do you like the dress?"

She blinked at him a few times and then said, "Oh, um, yes, thank you." She then broke eye contact and started to look around, clearly noticing that the children were gone and that they were alone.

"I know it's not very fancy but-" he begun.

"It's fine, Captain," she said and turned her gaze back to him to give him a small smile, "I appreciate it. And I don't mind it, it's quite lovely. My mother used to have a dress like this when she was younger. I love all the traditional dresses, they always reminds me of home."

"Well, I'm glad," he said sincerely, and fidgeted with the Maria Theresien cross around his neck.

Noticing the movement, Maria asked, "Is that the Maria Theresien cross?"

"Yes, it is," he said, a little surprised, "How'd you know?"

"Friedrich said you always wear it for formal occasions, he seems to know all about your medals," she said, with another small smile, "He told me it was given for 'successful military acts of essential impact to a campaign that were undertaken on the officer's own initiative, and might have been omitted by an honourable officer without reproach.' He also said it was your favourite."

Georg couldn't help but smile, "Good memory, Fraulein."

"I thought it was strange that your favourite medal was for doing something you weren't supposed to do. I wish I got a medal every time I did something I wasn't supposed to do."

"I don't think sliding down banisters is very medal worthy," Georg said.

"I guess not," she said and they both laughed.

There was an awkward silence and they both stared at one another, as if remembering they were supposed to be ignoring each other.

Georg cleared his throat and said, "Well, I better go join the fun."

"Ah, um, yes, I better go find the children," she said and she hurried off into the ballroom without a backwards glance.

 **XXX**

As Maria stood outside on the terrace with the children, she couldn't help but sigh at the sight of the men and woman all dressed in their fine dresses and suits as they twirled about the dance floor. Oh, she would give anything to be able to wear a wonderful ball gown and dance with someone. Just once.

She watched as the Captain moved about the room, greeting people as he went. His face was the perfect mask of a gracious host. And it was slightly startling to realise it was a mask. Maria wondered if other people realised it too. She could see his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, his posture was overly stiff and he had habit of flexing his fingers – something she noticed he did whenever he was agitated.

Suddenly, he caught her eye and she saw it all shift. He relaxed slightly and while he didn't smile at her, the look he gave her was enough to make her heart thud and her face feel hot. She broke eye contact and turned her back to the ballroom, scolding herself for her behaviour. She was there to look after the children, not stare at their father.

But it was so hard not to, dressed as he was in his finely tailored suit. He looked so much like the brave naval hero she had been told about. As lovely and exciting as the party was, she was desperate for it to be over. Her need to see the Revered Mother was starting to become overwhelming, her feelings were confusing her greatly and she felt like the only way to understand was to be in the safe walls of the abbey.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said to Liesl and she quickly exited the courtyard and walked through the high hedges, the cool breeze washing over her.

Looking up, she could see the moon glowing brightly in the clear sky. Minding the skirts of her dress, she knelt down and whispered a quick prayer asking for guidance before standing back up and returning to the courtyard.

As she entered, she saw Liesl and Friedrich dancing and said, "Well done, you two are doing so well."

Liesl smiled and said, "Thank you, Fraulein – I wish I could dance in there with all the other lovely ladies!"

"You will soon, Liesl," Maria said, giving the girl a warm smile.

"Is that the Ländler they're playing, Fraulein?" asked Kurt as he walked over to her.

Listening, Maria heard the opening tune of the traditional folk song and replied, "Yes, it is."

"Will you show me?" he asked, "You said you would the other day before Papa told us to get out of the ballroom."

"Oh, I don't know – I haven't danced it since I was little girl," Maria said hesitantly.

"Come on, you remember!" Kurt insisted, "It's the left hand behind the back?"

"Yes, that's right," Maria laughed, "But first, the boy and girl meet." She gave a little curtsey and smiled when Kurt bowed in return. "Then we go for a little stroll," she went on, taking his hand in hers, "And then step, hop – ah – step, hop."

It was difficult trying to do the dance with their difference in height but Maria tried her best as the rest of the children watched and giggled at their failed attempts.

"I guess we will have to practice," she said in the middle of showing Kurt how to do a turn which just caused their arms to get tangled.

"Do allow me, will you?" she heard a voice say and she turned to see the Captain standing there, his gloved hand outstretched.

Panic flooded in her chest as her heart sped up. _No, no, no, no,_ she thought. She was not going to dance with him, she didn't think she could stand to be so close to him again, so she took a step back.

"Maybe you could show Liesl?" Maria said, gesturing to the girl. "She's been practising a lot so I'm sure she'd love to dance with you, Captain."

His face was momentarily a picture of utter disappointment before he wiped it away and offered his hand to Liesl, which she took with a large smile.

* * *

A/N I will say it again, I'm sorry. Please don't come for me with pitchforks and flaming torches. I did warn you all.  
If you haven't read my latest one shot, _Anything Goes_ , I would suggest reading that to make yourself feel better. It's practically sugary fluff compared to this.

* Read story "It's All Right With Me" UPDATE 8/10  
^The song I hear him playing is called "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" by Michael Nyman from the movie "The Piano". Obviously it wasn't around at the time but it's one of my favourite piano pieces. The theme song for Downton Abbey is quite similar to it, well at least I think it is.


	5. An der schönen blauen Donau

A/N Thank you for all the reviews, they are appreciated so much. I've only been writing for a little over two months now but the support has been so encouraging, so thank you!  
I know what I did was blasphemous but I really wanted to do something different and like _WeakHeart_ said in her review, I've never read a story where she refuses to dance. So that was the main inspiration for continuing this story. It was my evil plan all along.

I also cannot seem to write short chapters to save my life. There is just so much setup to get through and so many Emotions. The capital "E" is needed, I think. The previous chapter, this one and the next were all originally one but it was so incredibly long I had to break it up which is why I am updating so fast. Anyway, onwards with this angst filled nightmare haha

Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.

Chapter Five:  
An der schönen blauen Donau  
\- _Johann Strauss ll_

* * *

"That was beautifully done, you should be so proud, Georg."

Georg turned and saw Elsa entering the courtyard, a charming smile on her face as she came and stood next to him.

Georg gave Liesl a smile and said, "Yes, well done, Liesl. I think you still need a little practice though."

Liesl beamed at him, "Thank you, Father, that was wonderful!"

He turned to look at Maria, who had been watching the whole dance with what she probably thought was polite interest, but he knew better. It had been the perfect opportunity to have her in his arms, the perfect excuse to touch her. And she had swiftly deflected him. It had been jarring to realise how much her polite decline of his offer to dance had hurt.

Of course, it had been lovely to dance with Liesl – something he hadn't done since she was very young. But he had wanted to dance with Maria. And now he was being swept away by Elsa and back into the throng of guests. All he could see was Maria's face, the look that had been in her eyes told him all he needed to know. She wanted to dance with him. Oh, she may have declined but as he had danced with his daughter he had caught sight of her face and seen the longing look in her gaze. It was the same look she had had when he had sung the night of the puppet show.

As the notes of a waltz picked up, and Georg's feet moved of their own accord, he tried to think of what on earth he was going to do. He couldn't live any longer with the way things were going. After the conversation during hide-n-seek, he had tried to do his best to treat her how he used to. It wasn't that difficult as long as he didn't make direct eye contact.

Every time he saw her, he tried to picture the bedraggled creature that had arrived in his villa two months ago and snuck into his ballroom. The anger he had felt then was now his shield, and he used it to try and treat her with the same indifference he used with any other household staff member. Not that he really thought of her as staff, that much was obvious, but he tried his best to just think of her as the governess and nothing more. It wasn't working however, especially if he was talking to her. Like when she had asked about his Maria Theresien cross, it had been so comfortable to slip back into the easy way they used to talk.

Spinning Elsa around with one hand on her waist and the other holding her gloved hand in his, his mind kept constantly wandering to how Maria would feel in his arms. And all he could think about was her in his room, her hands threading through his hair as she writhed underneath him. This thought caused him to subconsciously grip Elsa's waist tightly and bring her closer to him. Elsa practically purred in his ear and he mentally cursed himself.

"Darling, not in front of the guests," she said, her voice low.

He was about to open his mouth to reply when Maria walked into the room and announced that his children wished to say goodnight to everyone. Following his guests, with Elsa hanging onto his arm, he moved out into the main hall.

 **XXX**

Standing off to the side and watching the children sing their farewell song, Maria tried to not let her thoughts drift towards the Captain. Her heart ached and she wasn't completely sure why it did. Maria also felt slightly displaced, as if her life was supposed to go one way but instead it had gone another. While she had watched the Captain dance with Liesl, she had been filled with an incredible longing to dance with him. She had wanted to feel his hands holding her and be twirled about underneath the stars. When she had pictured herself in her little daydream, dancing in a wonderful dress, it had been him she wanted to dance with. But she knew if she felt his arms around her again, she would not be strong enough to step away.

 _"I'm afraid because- because I don't want you to stop."_

Those words she had whispered to him had never been truer - no matter how vehemently she had denied them. As much as she tried to forget the night of the puppet show, she couldn't. The feel of him, the scent of him and, heaven forgive her, the taste of him was forever imprinted in her mind and senses. It didn't matter how many times she prayed, or how many rosary beads she went through. He was always there.

Unable to stop herself, she let her gaze drift to her right and found the Captain was staring straight at her. For a moment, she felt like she could hardly breathe. Sound seemed to become slightly faded and time seemed to slow. It was as though they were suddenly the only two in the room. Panic and guilt seeping in again, she hastily broke eye contact and turned her attention back towards the children who had finished singing and were slowly walking up the staircase as the guests all wished them goodnight.

She made her way to follow them but was stopped by Herr Detweiler grabbing her arm and saying, "Oh, young lady, I must have words with you."

Before she knew it she was being dragged by Herr Detweiler towards the Captain, who was talking to some guests, and he said, "Georg, you aren't going to let this girl get away are you? She has to join the party."

"No, really I-" Maria started to protest but Herr Detweiler hushed her.

"Georg, please," Herr Detweiler insisted, turning to the Captain.

"You can if you want to, Fraulein," the Captain said politely and Maria tried to catch his eye but he simply returned to talking to his guests.

"I insist, you will be my dinner partner," Herr Detweiler said and she heard him whisper something to the Baroness, who had walked over to them.

The impresario told a reluctant Franz to add another seat for Maria. She did not want to be dining with the rest of the guests; she was the governess after all. And it had been clear by the look on Franz's face that she had no right to be dining with them.

"It appears to be all arranged, doesn't it?" said the Captain, turning back to them all.

"It certainly does," said the Baroness.

"I'm not suitably dressed," Maria protested, clinging to her last hope of escape.

"Uh, well, you can change. We'll wait for you," said the Captain in the same polite tone, not quite meeting her eye, before returning his attention to his guests once more.

Maria looked hesitantly between the Captain and Herr Detweiler before she rushed upstairs to her room. What did the Captain expect her to change into? It's not like Maria had any ball gowns just casually lying around for such an occasion. Opening her wardrobe she stared at the few dresses she had. Her eye caught sight of the blue chiffon dress; she hadn't worn it since _that_ night. But it was the only thing suitable she had to wear. Quickly changing into it, she stared at her reflection in the large mirror in the bathroom.

 _This is as good as it's going to get_ , she told herself. Hastily smoothing the dress down, she went back down the stairs and followed the rest of the guests into the large formal dining room. She had never been in this room before, but it was similar to the rest of the house with large chandeliers and a welcoming décor. There was a large table that ran through the centre of the room, and the sound of clinking glasses and laughter met her ears as she walked in.

"Over here, Fraulein!" came the loud voice of Herr Detweiler.

She walked down towards him and he pointed to the empty seat next to him, which was directly to the Captain's left as he sat at the head of the table. Across from Maria sat the Baroness, who gave her a polite smile.

"So lovely of you to join us, Fraulein Maria," said the Baroness, raising her champagne glass towards her.

Maria offered her a smile and sat down quickly, twisting her hands underneath the table. The evening went on without much trouble, to Maria's relief. She mostly spoke only to Herr Detweiler, who was constantly talking about the children's performance. It hadn't taken her long to realise the reason he had asked her to join them for dinner, but what he thought Maria could do to change the Captain's mind about the children being in the Salzburg Festival was beyond her.

"Have some champagne, Fraulein," Herr Detweiler said as the desserts came around.

"Oh, Herr Detweiler, I don't think-" Maria protested.

"Max, please," said impresario with a smile, handing her a glass, "Live a little."

Taking the proffered glass she hesitantly took a sip, the bubbles tickling her nose. It was quite pleasant and she gladly took another sip.

She was in the middle of telling him about the "Do, Re, Me" song she had taught the children when Dame Vogel spoke to her. She was a couple of seats down from the Baroness and she spoke loudly to be heard over the assortment of voices.

"What nonsense!" said the woman.

"I'm sorry?" Maria said.

"Teaching children to sing about tea and jam, how ridiculous," sneered Dame Vogel, "Do you teach these children anything worth knowing?"

Maria couldn't help the anger that settled in her stomach, "Music is just as important as history or mathematics. Surely you don't think the music of Mozart or Strauss to be ridiculous?"

Maria heard Max give a bark of laughter before he hastily turned it into a hacking cough. The Baroness looked like she was going to faint and Maria took a large gulp of the champagne for something to do. Why did she have to open her mouth and say whatever popped into her head?

"Goodness, do you have any manners, girl?" said Dame Vogel, "Captain von Trapp, you let this girl teach your children? I fear for the future of Austria," Dame Vogel went on, with a scrutinising glance as the Captain.

Maria went to open her mouth but the Captain spoke before she could, "I fear for the future of Austria too, Dame Vogel, but not because my children's governess is teaching them how to sing scales. I think we can all stand to have a little music right now." Maria saw him shoot a dark look down towards the end of the table at a man Maria didn't recognise, but who looked decidedly unappealing with his rat like countenance. The Captain then went on, his polite voice edged with steel, "And, her name is Fraulein Maria, not 'girl', I think you could use some manners yourself, Dame Vogel."

Dame Vogel made a noise of shocked irritation and then ignoring his last comment, said, "I guess they are your children, Captain, but I am sure poor Agathe would be appalled at the _help_ you have employed."

Maria closed her eyes briefly and she could practically feel the Captain freeze up next to her.

"My wife is dead, so I don't think she could possibly have any feelings towards the matter," he said, each word slotting into place like the slamming of a door.

Dame Vogel simply raised an eyebrow at him and said no more. Looking across at the Baroness, Maria saw the woman's face briefly crease in annoyance before she wiped it away and placed a hand on the Captain's arm. Which just caused him to stand up abruptly and leave the table.

"Just smile and pretend everything is normal," Maria heard Max whisper to her as he raised a glass to some of the guests and added in a louder voice, "Just got a headache, must be the champagne."

Maria just drained the rest of her glass.

 **XXX**

"What on earth was that about, Georg?" came the scandalised voice of Elsa.

Georg was in his study when Elsa had swept in, her face an elegant display of anger.

"That woman is the most horrible old witch I have ever met, and I have met some atrocious people, Elsa," he snapped.

Elsa placed a hand on her hip and said, "You didn't have to be so rude to her, she was simply inquiring about your children's schooling."

Georg stared at Elsa for a moment before he said in a deadly whisper, "I'm sorry? Were you listening at all? She was not inquiring about my children's education at all, she was insulting me and my– the children's governess."

"Oh yes, and you just had to defend the poor nun, didn't you, Georg?" said Elsa, "Even though she is perfectly capable of doing it herself. I have never been so embarrassed in my life."

"That _woman_ insulted the way I choose to educate my children and then decided to tell me how Agathe would feel about it," Georg went on, "How could you possibly expect me to sit back and just take that?"

Elsa drew in a breath and said in a calming tone, "Look, Georg, this is stupid. We can't let this ruin our evening. We can discuss it tomorrow." She turned and headed back towards the door.

"No."

Pausing, Elsa turned back around and asked, "I beg your pardon?"

"No," Georg repeated.

He was done. So done. Everything in his body felt like it had snapped and he didn't care anymore. He wanted all these pretentious people out of his home so he could sit in his study with a large glass of brandy and be alone with the woman he loved. Which was definitely not Elsa. And while he was sure this should have come as a shock of some kind, it didn't. It was like he'd been pushed over the edge of insanity that he was now coming back the other end and everything was so painfully clear.

"Georg, I know you are just feeling frustrated right now. Just have a drink and get over it," Elsa said flippantly.

"I'm not going to get over it," he said, his tone surprisingly calm. But it was calm like the sea before a storm.

Elsa seemed to sense the change in him, but rallied herself and said, "Georg, she's just an outspoken woman. I am sure you'll survive."

"That's not what I am talking about," Georg said, "I am talking about us."

"Us?"

"Yes, us," he said.

Elsa blinked, "You cannot be serious."

"It's no use, Elsa, I'm being dishonest to both of us," Georg said, "And I'm being utterly unfair to you."

Elsa said nothing for a moment until her perfectly sculpted brows narrowed, "This is about that stupid little governess, isn't it?"

"Maria isn't stupid, Elsa," said Georg, his tone deadly.

"Oh, it's _Maria_ now is it?" Elsa said, "Goodness, Georg, I wouldn't expect any better from her but _you_. Oh, I've seen the way you look at her." And Elsa gave a knowing smirk as his surprise blossomed on his face. "It was rather obvious and completely humiliating, I might add. But I figured you'd get over it. I mean, there's nothing more irresistible to a man than a woman that's in love with him."

"What did you just say?" he whispered.

"Oh, please Georg, it's practically written all over her face any time she looks at you. I mean, she's young so how would she know any better? I'm sure she'll get over it."

"Elsa…" Georg warned.

"No, Georg," she went on, "You brought me here and we all knew where this was going. You throw _me_ a party and spend the night either talking to _her_ or defending _her_ \- your eyes constantly on _her,_ which is nothing but demeaning to me. You let her dine with us and she's the governess for God's sake – and that also reminds me, she's going to be a nun. I mean honestly, Georg."

"Things have changed, Elsa," he said, "I should never have let you convince me to have this party. I apologise but that does not give you any right to speak that way."

"I think it does, Georg," Elsa said, "Do you know how many people have asked me tonight if you have proposed? At least ten have. And I have to tell them the same sad story that you still aren't ready to move on because of your dear wife's passing."

Georg's face was a picture of barely controlled rage but he didn't know what on earth to say, everything Elsa was saying was true. Though he didn't dare to hope that what she had said about Maria being in love with him was true. He could not afford to think on it right now.

"You and I know that isn't true, at least not anymore," Elsa continued, "But I can't really tell them that the famous Captain von Trapp refuses to marry me because he thinks he's in love with a girl half his age who wants to become a nun, can I?"

"Elsa!" he commanded, his composure snapping.

Elsa momentarily seemed to be alarmed by his domineering temper but she stayed her ground and simply let out a sad laugh.

"You know, I've waited so long to see some form of real emotion from you Georg, it's actually a relief to see you lose control," Elsa said and he saw there were tears welling in her eyes, "All I wanted was some of that restrained passion you seem to keep locked within yourself aimed my way, but we both know that's never going to happen. I think deep down I've known that for a while now."

Trying to still the storm raging in his head, Georg clenched his hands into fists and said, "Elsa, I truly am sorry."

"I know, darling," she said, a sad smile gracing her face, "Now, I think it's time we put our happy little masks back on and pretended everything is all right, just one more time. And then tomorrow, I shall return to Vienna where I belong."

She walked up to him, placing her hand over his clenched fist and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

 **XXX**

Maria stood with Max at the back of the ballroom, feeling out of place and highly uncomfortable. She wanted to escape to the safety of her room or the children, but she had no reasonable excuse to leave and she didn't want to embarrass the Captain any further by drawing attention to herself.

And while she knew she shouldn't, she grabbed another glass of champagne as a waiter walked by. She needed something to hold and a reason to keep her mouth shut. Besides, the drink was slowly making her feel less tense about the whole situation.

Finally she saw the Captain and Baroness return and Maria tried to squash the ache she felt at the sight of him with his hand on the small of the Baroness's back and the smile they shared with one another. It brought back the memory of what she had overheard Frau Bremer and Frau Schmidt talking about. The sadness returned but then so did some anger, was he the sort of man to kiss her senseless and then go take the Baroness back to Vienna and do God knew what? If you asked her this two weeks ago, she would have laughed (and not just at the absurd idea of the Captain kissing her) but because she would have said no.

Now she wasn't so sure, she had thought him a honourable man. But she was certain that honourable men did not kiss their children's governess. And kiss was such a poor word. He hadn't kissed her; he had ravished, aroused and caressed her. In ways she had never imagined before. He also seemed to manage to do it just with a look; he didn't even need to touch her. It was utterly terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

"Good evening," came an oily voice, startling her of her reverie.

Turning she came face to face with a man, probably only a few years older than she, who was lanky and was staring at her in a way that made Maria feel instantly uncomfortable.

"Um, hello," she said, trying to force a polite smile on her face.

"My name is Herr Vogel, but you can call me Viktor," he said and he offered Maria his hand. "You are Maria, yes?"

"Ah, yes," Maria said, extending her hand which he instantly grabbed and kissed. It made her skin crawl. "Vogel, did you say?"

The man smirked, "Yes, I believe you had the pleasure of meeting my grandmother. Don't worry, you get used to her."

Maria just gave another smile and tried to wipe the hand he had kissed on her dress without being obvious. She turned to draw Max into the conversation but realised he had left while she had been idly lost in thought.

"She tells me you're the governess," Viktor went on, seemingly oblivious to Maria's discomfit. "And that you're also going to be a nun."

"Yes, I am," Maria said and tried to ignore the flash of sadness she felt at the word 'nun'.

"You must be so busy with all those children, I cannot imagine how you do it," he said.

"Oh well, you know…" Maria said with a shrug. "They are wonderful children, very well behaved."

"I think if I had a governess that looked like you I certainly would have behaved," he said. "No wonder Captain von Trapp keeps you around."

Maria just blinked at him and said, "I beg your pardon?"

The man just leered at her and said, "I'm sure it's not just the children that require your attention. I'm sure he has you on your knees praying all the time."

Maria felt like she had been punched in the chest. She may be naive but she wasn't stupid. After the shock went, her fury rushed up to greet her and she gladly shook its hand so she could stamp heavily on the man's foot.

"I think you should leave her alone," came the deep voice of the Captain behind her.

Herr Vogel simply glared and hobbled off, leaving the two of them behind.

"I don't know what he said to you but I'm sure he deserved it. You should have thrown your drink in his face too – though, that would be a waste of my fine champagne," the Captain went on, still standing behind her.

Maria turned and saw he was glaring off into the distance. He looked utterly menacing and handsome at the same time.

"Sorry for making a scene," was all she could say.

"Like I said, I'm sure he deserved it," the Captain said, "He's no better than his dear grandmother. Odious people. Wouldn't listen to anything they say, Fraulein."

Maria offered a small smile but she could not stop thinking about what the man had just said to her. It was absolutely mortifying. And yet… it wasn't. Blushing profusely, she dropped her gaze to stare at the drink in her hand. This caused her head to spin slightly and she took a slightly uneasy step to balance herself.

The Captain swiftly took the drink out of her grasp and steadied her with a gloved hand.

"No more of that, I think," he said, "Can't have a drunk nun."

She wanted people to stop calling her that. Every time someone said it, especially the Captain, it made her want to scream. And she didn't know why and that made her want to scream even more. Not too long ago she used to feel a surge of pride and happiness when she said she was going to be a nun. Now, it just made her uncomfortable. Was it God telling her that she was too wicked? She didn't know. Oh, would this night(mare) ever end?

"I'm not drunk," Maria said, and hated the way she sounded, like a petulant child.

"No, but I'm sure you're not used to it," said the Captain, "If you wish to retire, you can Fraulein. You don't have to stay." Maria risked looking at him again and the softness in his blue eyes was heart stopping. "If I could, I would. So, I'm not going to stop you," he went on.

"Well, I should go check on the children," Maria said feebly.

The Captain nodded and said, "Yes, of course, I'm sure they are all still wide awake. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw them all peering over the banister. Liesl and Friedrich used to sneak out when they were younger."

Maria smiled at that and just gave a small nod before gratefully escaping the ballroom and headed up towards the nursery. As she opened the door, she managed to catch sight of Marta hurriedly closing her eyes and ducking under the covers, pretending to be asleep.

Smiling, she said, "I saw you, Marta."

The girl peeked her head out from under the blanket and gave her a toothy grin.

"I couldn't sleep, Fraulein," she said, "I'm too excited!"

Maria walked over to her and stroked her forehead, "Well, it's time to sleep now, okay?"

Maria tried to focus on soothing Marta's excitement but couldn't help her inner turmoil from displaying on her face. She hadn't even realised Gretl was awake until she spoke.

"Are you okay, Fraulein? You look scared," said Gretl sleepily.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Maria said, trying to smile.

Marta then sat up suddenly, threw back the covers and hopped out of her bed. She walked over to the large closet and took something out, which she then brought over and offered to Maria.

"Here," she said.

Maria looked down at the item in Marta's hands and saw it was the Captain's jacket. The same one she had seen in here when she had returned from her mountain.

"Why do you have this?" Maria whispered.

"Papa gave it to me when I was scared of the storm and then he left for Vienna, so I kept it and hid it in our closet," Marta said shyly, "It made me feel better when I was scared so I thought it might make you feel better."

Maria felt her heart melt at the gesture but she said, "I couldn't possibly, Marta."

"It's okay, Fraulein," Gretl chimed in, sitting up in her bed. "I'm sure Papa wouldn't want you to be scared."

With slightly trembling hands, Maria took the jacket and put it on, the material enveloping her small frame. It was heavy but comfortable and she could smell the lingering scent as it wafted up to greet her. It was unbearably soothing and she brought it around her tightly, trying to resist the urge to cry.


	6. The Waltz

A/N Time for some fun*

Disclaimer: I do not own TSOM except for on DVD and an old vinyl record.

Chapter Six:  
Swan Lake Op 20. Waltz  
 _\- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky_

* * *

Georg tapped his fingers idly against the side of his leg as he impatiently waited for the evening to end. He was in conversation with Baron and Baroness Elberfeld, as well as Elsa, when he caught sight of the little parasite Herr Vogel sneaking out the ballroom door, still limping ever so slightly.

"Where are you going, Georg?" asked Elsa, putting a hand on his arm.

"I just need to check on something," he said, turning back to the Elberfeld's and Elsa, "I will be back."

Walking out into the hall at a measured pace, he saw the boy head up the grand staircase and turn left. Following after him, Georg could hear him opening door after door as went down the corridor until Georg saw him open the door to Maria's room and slip in. He felt rage uncoil like a mighty beast in his stomach and he increased his pace.

Flinging open the door, Georg demanded, "What do you think you are doing?"

His eyes scanned the room but there was no sign of Maria, just Herr Vogel, who spun around and scowled at him.

"I just wanted to apologise to that charming lady," said Herr Vogel arrogantly.

"I bet you did," snapped Georg, taking a step towards the boy to loom over him, "Though I don't think it's very appropriate for you to come sneaking into her bedroom."

Georg was slightly impressed that Herr Vogel didn't back down, but simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmm. Well she doesn't appear to be here, Captain, so no harm done." The boy then had the audacity to give Georg a knowing look as he added, "I suspect she doesn't spend much time sleeping in here, at any rate. Maybe I should have gone to the family wing instead to apologise?"

Before he knew what he was doing, the beast had taken over and Georg had picked the boy up by his collar and brought his face mere inches from his, "How dare you insinuate such a thing."

Realising what he had done, Georg hastily dropped the boy, who straightened his jacket and said, "Well, well, I hit a nerve."

Georg had nothing but murder in his heart but he managed to control the beast within and command through gritted teeth, "Get. Out."

The barely restrained rage in his voice must have finally seeped through Herr Vogel's idiotic brain as the boy took a step back and with one last scowl at Georg, hurried out the room. Allowing himself to sag onto Maria's bed, Georg ran his hands through his hair and cursed the empty room.

He didn't know why Maria was not in her room but he thanked God, and any other deities that may be listening, that she wasn't. Georg was fairly certain that the cretin had not had apologising on his mind. He'd seen the way he'd been looking at Maria before he had seen her stamp on his foot, and while Georg was not the rogue he'd been in his youth anymore, he could certainly still recognise it in others. The rage was still slowly simmering away, and it wasn't just because he'd found that horrible rat sneaking into Maria's room, but also the insinuation that she wouldn't be here. Georg knew exactly what Herr Vogel had been implying, that she would be in _his_ room. And the anger he felt was because part of Georg, quite a large part of him, wished it was true. Which just made the anger mutate into guilt and shame.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down. The scent of the room filled his nose, it was fresh and sweet, and it managed to alleviate some of the tension. With great reluctance he stood up, headed out of the wing and towards the stairs. Instead of going down back to the party, he then walked over towards the family wing and headed for the nursery. Maria had said she was checking on the children so it was possible she could still be there, even though it had been over an hour since she had left the party downstairs.

He didn't have to look far, as opening the nursery bedroom door he was greeted by the sight of Maria propped up in Marta's bed with his two youngest daughters by her side. They were all sleeping peacefully and he saw Maria had a book that had slipped out of her hand and was lying open on the bed. Picking it up, he closed it carefully and placed it on the side table.

When he looked back at them again, he noticed that Maria had something wrapped around her and on closer inspection he saw it was one of his jackets. Thinking, he realised it was the jacket he'd given to Marta the night she'd come into his room. He hadn't even been aware that it had been missing this whole time. Why Maria was wearing it was a question he'd love an answer to but seeing her sleeping with Gretl and Marta, his jacket wrapped around her, was the most peaceful thing he'd ever seen that he found he didn't really care why.

He felt the rage of the beast curl up and calm at the sight of her, and couldn't help the tug of possessiveness he felt seeing her wearing his clothing. Unable to stop himself, he slowly moved over towards the bed, removed his gloves and gently ran his thumb down the side of her face. He instantly stilled when she shifted slightly and made a gentle humming sound. She didn't wake though and so with great care, he moved his thumb down her face again until it rested just below her bottom lip.

Unable to stop himself, as if he were in some sort of trance, he moved closer and pressed his lips softly against hers. She took a deep intake of breath and sighed.

"Captain…"

Georg froze, his face still only inches away from hers. He flicked his gaze from her mouth to her eyes but saw she was still asleep, her gentle breath ghosting against his face. Pulling away with great care, he eased himself up and left the room, gently shutting the door behind him. His heart was thudding in his chest and he leant against the wall to try and regain some sort of self-control.

The sound of the orchestra was drifting up the stairs and he could hear the occasional laughter and clink of glasses. It sounded pleasant, but he knew it was all a lie. There was probably only about five people down there he actually liked, the rest were just like Herr Vogel – parasites. Just wanting to be seen, seeking attention like their lifeblood depended on it. Gossiping about anything and nothing. Not caring what or who they destroyed in the process. It made him want to scream. He felt like the bow tie around his neck was choking him, ever so slowly.

Trying to shake some sense into his head, he slipped his gloves back on and headed back down towards the party.

 **XXX**

Maria awoke suddenly, slightly disorientated and looked around the room. There was a soft light emitting from a rabbit shaped lamp and she looked down at the two little girls sleeping either side of her. Then she remembered; she'd put the Captain's jacket on and agreed to tell a story to the girls. She must have fallen asleep while reading but the book wasn't on her lap but on the side table. Shifting slowly, trying not to disturb the sleeping children, she eased herself out of the bed.

She couldn't believe the way her thoughts had taken a turn since she'd been asleep. While she had been determined to speak with the Reverend Mother tomorrow, she hadn't really known what to say. But she knew one thing at least and that was that she couldn't be nun. It was a heartbreaking realisation. While she had been sleeping, she had dreamt she had taken her vows and lived her life at the abbey. And she had been filled with such sadness, feeling like a trapped animal in her cage filled with whispered prayers. The other sisters had surrounded her like magpies. And then the children had appeared, dressed in black and white, and the sisters had whispered an old nursery rhyme to her:

 _"One for sorrow,  
_ _Two for joy,  
_ _Three for a girl,  
_ _Four for a boy,  
_ _Five for silver,  
_ _Six for gold,  
_ _Seven for a secret,  
_ _Never to be told."_

Then the Reverend Mother had whispered in her ear, _"Seven for the devil, his own self."_ And the Captain had been standing there, the red of the ribbon on his Maria Theresien cross bright compared to the black and white of the others. And he had kissed her, so gently that it was like a whisper. But was he really the devil? Or had Maria become her own devil? She didn't know. All she knew was the secret that she kept, never to be told.

With a sigh she reluctantly took the jacket off, folded it carefully and placed it next to the book on the table. She then picked up Gretl and moved her gently over to her own bed and tucked her in, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. The action reminding her of the hazy dream, the feel of lips against her own but she shook her head and walked over to Marta's bed, bestowing a kiss on her forehead as well before switching the nightlight off and exiting the room.

Walking out of the wing and onto the gallery that overlooked the main hall, she saw that all the doors were shut and darkness hung like a heavy blanket. She had no idea what time it was but it must have been past midnight, the party well and truly over. She started to head for her room when she heard the slight strains of music coming from downstairs. Still slightly half asleep, she walked down the stairs like a ghost until she came to the ballroom door, which she slowly pushed open. There was nothing but the moonlight shining through the large glass doors, which were now shut, giving the room a heavenly glow.

The music was coming from the large gramophone that sat on a table to one side, the needle spinning lazily over the disc as it played. She recognised it as the waltz from Swan Lake. Moving into the middle of the room, she stretched out her hands and spun around, her skirts twirling around.

The room looked so different to how it had been several hours ago. There were just a few pieces of gilded furniture with one or two shawls on them and the smattering of empty champagne glasses on tables that indicted anyone had been in here. She decided she liked it more the way it was now, with the soft rays of the moon shining in, just giving enough light to see. It felt safer and more comforting than it had filled with people. It was more magical.

The soft notes of the music continued to play and Maria, unable to stop herself, did the same thing she had done when she had arrived at the villa. She curtseyed to the moon, and then holding the skirts of her dress in one hand and extending the other out in front of her, began to dance.

It was easy to pretend in the soft darkness that her troubles didn't matter; that the terrible night she had just had didn't happen. It was hard to be sad in this room with the gentle music playing and the soft glow of the night. Closing her eyes, she pretended for one selfish moment that she was dancing with the Captain. In her mind her hand wasn't holding her dress, but holding his shoulder and her other hand was in his, instead of grasping nothing but air.

The music continued on and the emotion of it filled her heart. A small part of her was aware of the tune changing slightly but she took no notice, still lost in her daydream as she moved around the room. It was so easy to pretend in the dark, she was surprised that her own imagination was even able to conjure up the feel of his hand in hers and the other holding her close. She could even feel the warmth of him radiating towards her. She sighed.

"Open your eyes."

They flew open and there he was.

 **XXX**

After the last of the guests had left, Georg had gladly retreated to the safety of his study. It had been agonising returning back the party, trying to make pleasant conversation with the bores he detested. But finally, it was over. He had removed the infuriating bowtie and Maria Theresien cross from his neck, and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. He had just shrugged out of his jacket when Max breezed in.

"Well that wasn't too bad," said Max as he immediately went to Georg's drink cabinet and poured two glasses of whiskey.

Taking the proffered drink, Georg said darkly, "I guess not. Nobody died." _Though it was a close thing_ , he added to himself.

"That's the spirit," said Max, taking a large sip of his drink and slumping into the chair across from Georg's desk. Max gave Georg an appraising look and said, "So, what actually happened tonight?"

"None of your business," Georg said, leaning back in his chair.

"Mmhmm," said Max, "Elsa tells me you've called off your engagement."

"We never were engaged, Max," Georg said irritably, taking a sip of whiskey.

Max shrugged, "You practically were."

"Well then, I don't see why you are asking if she's already told you what happened."

"Yes, well, I'd like to know what happened with Herr Vogel," Max went on, a knowing look in his eye.

Georg raised an eyebrow, "How do you know anything happened?"

Max swirled the contents of his drink, "I may, or may not, have overheard him talking to his dear grandmamma."

Leaning forward and placing the drink down on his desk, Georg asked, "What exactly did you hear?"

"I simply heard him telling her that you keep our little governess around for more than just the children's benefit," Max said, watching Georg for his reaction. "He said to that _lovely_ woman that he's pretty sure you've got her, what was the charming phrase he used? Oh yes, 'praying on her knees all night.'"

Georg's fingers clenched on the top of his desk as he inhaled sharply. "That odious little cretin."

"Indeed," agreed Max, his gaze softened a little at the look on Georg's face. "I think you need to be careful, Georg. Once word gets out that Elsa is returning to Vienna, I don't think it will take long for that horrible pair to spread their poison far and wide."

"But it's not true," Georg said.

Max gave another shrug, "Do you think people care whether it's true or not? And you know what they say, 'A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on.' They will believe it because people always want to believe in the worst of others – especially those that are seen as heroes. It says to them, 'Oh, if the great Captain von Trapp can make such mistakes, it doesn't matter if I do.'"

"I didn't know you were so wise, Max," Georg said irritably.

"Yes, well, I can't help it if I soak up some knowledge along with the food and wine, can I?" Max remarked. He then proceeded to drain the rest of his drink and stood up on uneasy feet. "Well, I am off to sleep, it must be nearly one in the morning. Do try not to brood too much, Georg. It's unhealthy."

Georg watched Max saunter off, humming under his breath as he went to bed without a care in the world. Sometimes he envied Max and his ability to be so carefree.

Georg could not stop thinking about what his friend had just said. And knew it was true. The social upper class of Austria liked nothing more than a juicy scandal, and didn't care for it's factual basis. He didn't really care for himself but he knew how it would affect Maria, not to mention his children too. He should not have risen to the bait of that horrible little twit.

He sat in his study slowly drinking his whiskey, his thoughts constantly going over the events of the night. At least he'd finally spoken to Elsa, not that he'd wanted the conversation to go down that way. But, it was done. He was free. He kept replaying the sound of Maria sighing "Captain" after he had kissed her while she slept, the longing way she had said it made him crave to hear her say his actual name. What he would give to hear her sigh his name in the throes of passion. He made the mistake of looking at his desk and all he could see was her in that blue dress - the same blue dress she'd changed into tonight. He had not been thinking when he'd said it was fine for her to change, he'd been desperately trying to cling to some semblance of normality by treating her indifferently in front of his guests. But she had gone and changed. And now all he could see was the vision of her pressed against his desk like in his forbidden dreams.

The study suddenly feeling too oppressing, he stood up and left. Heading back towards the ballroom, he slipped into the room. It was so much better now that it was empty, without his so called "friends" filling it. Walking over to the gramophone, he placed a record on and then continued over to the small corner of the room where his piano sat. Sitting down at the piano in the darkness, he allowed his fingers to move over the keys as he played along with the music emitting from the large horn of the gramophone.

It wasn't long before he heard the door open and he saw Maria walk in. Seated in the shadows, she didn't notice him and he watched as she stretched out her arms and spun around, the skirt of her dress lifting up as she twirled. The moonlight caught her face and he saw she had a slightly dreamy look on it.

His fingers continued to coax the soft notes out of the piano as he watched her, his eyes free to gaze at her without anyone to notice or judge. She gave a small curtsy and then pretended to dance with an invisible partner. After a moment she closed her eyes as she moved about the room, still dancing to the soft music.

Unable to stop himself, he stopped playing and moved towards her. His slipped his hand in hers and put the other hand around her waist as he moved her about the room. He heard her give a soft sigh but her eyes remained closed. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, not even aware of him at all.

Bringing her closer, he whispered softly, "Open your eyes."

Her eyes flew open and the intense blue of them was enough to set his blood on fire.

"Are you real?" she asked in a low voice as they continued to dance, moving ever so slowly closer.

"Yes."

She stopped moving and he felt the brush of her dress against his legs as it swayed with the movement. It was impossible to tell how much time passed as they just stood there, staring at one another. She took her hand out of his grasp and moved it towards his face, which she touched lightly with her fingertips. It was the softest touch, but it sent a jolt right through him.

She blinked at him and then her eyes fell to his mouth and he saw her wet her lips with her tongue as she stared. It was all the invitation he needed as his hands flew to her face and brought her lips to his. She tasted so much better than he remembered, and he dropped one hand from her face to grip her waist and pull her closer. He felt her hands press against his chest and then her fingers clutched at the fabric of his shirt.

The taste of champagne lingered on her tongue as he deepened the kiss and he was sure he heard himself growl as she pressed up against him. Leaving her mouth, he kissed down her neck and he heard her moan in his ear. The sound of broken sighs and the feel of her pressing up against him managed to arouse him further and he couldn't help but press his hips back against her. She let out a gasp and instantly pulled away from him.

Her eyes were wide and bright, her chest heaving with each panted breath as her face flushed in the moonlight.

"Wha-I-you-we," she babbled.

He saw her face crumple and he had an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Panic gripped his heart; he was not going to let the same thing happen again.

"Please don't run," he said quickly.

The expression on her face changed from fear to anger and she cried, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Maria, I don't want to hurt you," he said.

"I don't understand," she went on, "You can't, I mean, we can't. You-he said. I'm not going to."

She was talking nonsense, and Georg quickly grabbed her hands in his and tried to sooth the panic that obviously taken hold of her.

"Please breathe, Maria," he said, "You need to calm down."

She took a staggering breath as she took her hands out of his grasp and clutched them to her chest as she said, "I may not be as worldly as you but I am not stupid, I know what you want me for."

Georg's face frowned into confusion before it clicked. That snivelling rat, Vogel, must have said something to her.

"Whatever that poor excuse for a human being said to you, Maria, is not true."

Her eyes were accusing as she said, "But you probably wish it were."

There was only the sound of the music carrying softly through the night.

"I do. I think about you every minute of every day and it kills me just a little bit to see you so unhappy, knowing I am the reason that you are. All I want to do is kiss you, and hold you. I want you to be mine. I'm a horribly selfish man and I don't want you to go back that abbey, where you certainly do not belong. I want you to stay here with me and I want to take that dress - that _damn_ dress that haunts me at night and rip it off you. I want to make you scream my name. I don't want to hear you call me Captain ever again," was what he wanted to say but he didn't.

He didn't want to frighten her, even more than he already had. And he knew if he said all that she would run for the hills. He was tempted to, if he was completely honest with himself. The overwhelming passion he was feeling was unbelievable. It had been so long since he had felt such emotions, or any emotions beside grief and anger, that it was so intense. His heart thudded and he tried to keep a grip on his self control.

"Maria, what I wish is not important," he finally said. "What you want is what matters."

"I…" she said slowly, "I don't know what I want. And it frightens me." She took a deep breath and continued, "But I know that this-" and she gestured between the two of them, "-can't happen again. I won't be some mistress on the side while you parade around with the Baroness. I don't think I could bear it. You make me feel…" And here she trailed off and quickly turned away from him.

Approaching her slowly he said, "I would never treat you that way. You must know that."

"I heard Frau Schmidt and Frau Bremer talking," she said, her back still to him, "Why else would you go to Vienna with the Baroness for a week, they said. You've both been married before so of course you would-would-"

He mentally cursed himself, he hadn't even considered how it had looked when he had taken Elsa back to Vienna to organise the sham that this party had been.

"I went to Vienna with Elsa so you could have some space and I wouldn't be tempted to do what I did then and what I just did now," Georg said, "Elsa and I never had a physical relationship. And we never will. She's going back to Vienna tomorrow."

Maria turned around to face him, "She is?"

"Yes," he said, "I couldn't pretend anymore. She said some things that made me finally see sense."

"What things?"

Georg stared at her for a moment before he decided to just be honest with her. "She said that you were in love with me, and I was in love with you."

Maria opened and shut her mouth a few times before she said, "But that isn't true! … Is it?"

"You tell me."

"I-I don't know!" Maria protested, "I don't know how you make me feel." She took a deep breath and then looked challengingly at him, "Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"You do?" she said, and he heard the hopeful lilt in her voice.

"With all my heart," Georg said.

"Oh."

 **XXX**

Maria tried to still the mad beating of her heart in her chest but she couldn't. The man in front of her just watched her, waiting for her to respond but she had no idea what to say.

 _Captain von Trapp just told me he loves me. And he's not going to marry Baroness Schraeder._

Her brain didn't seem to be able to comprehend what it had just heard. It seemed to be defaulting to fight or flight. The memory of her dream came back to her and all she could think about was her secret, never to be told.

"Maria," he said, his voice low and inviting as he approached her slowly, "If you feel nothing for me, I will let you walk out that door and say no more on the subject. But only if I hear you say it."

"I-I-well-," Maria tried to deny what she felt but the words continuously failed, the lies catching in her throat.

He was so incredibly close and so she concentrated on looking down at her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe.

"And don't try to lie to me, you can't even do it properly," he said.#

She risked looking up at him and her breath caught. The way he was looking at her made her feel so alive; the heat of his gaze was intense and she felt the tension coil within her. And in that moment she knew what he said was true. He wasn't trying to trick her. Why she would ever think that this man would possibly use her was absurd. But she was so _frightened_ ; her heart seemed to be stuck in her throat.

She tried to will her feet to step back, to put some much needed distance between them. But her body wasn't taking any orders from her brain– not that it ever really had. Instead, her traitorous feet moved her closer to him.

"I'm frightened…" she heard herself whisper.

His gaze softened slightly as he said, "I don't want to frighten you, Maria."

Shaking her head, she went on, "No. You don't frighten me. The way I feel frightens me. I feel-I feel-"

"Yes?" he questioned as he closed the gap between them, moving his hands up the length of her arms.

She shivered from the touch, the heat of his hands on her skin sending tingles down her spine and causing the knot in her stomach to tighten. And she felt a burst of delicious tension bloom between her legs. Before she could think any further, before she could talk herself out of it, she threw her arms around his neck and moved her face towards his.

The sensation of his mouth moving feverishly over hers caused her blood to boil and she heard him groan against her lips. Throwing her fears away, she let the feeling of him take over, unable to hold herself back any longer. The fingers of one of her hands gripped at the nape of his neck while the other trailed down his chest. She could feel the beating of his heart underneath her hand, the mad pounding matching her own. In the wild chorus of thoughts flying about her head, all she could think about was being closer to him, that the feel of him against her would put her out of her misery. With a boldness she didn't truly feel, she moved her hand to the open collar of his shirt and moved her hand underneath the stiff fabric. The burning heat underneath her hand caused a sigh to escape her lips and she felt him bring her closer.

His body was pressed right up against hers and she could feel every inch of him, the searing heat scorching through the clothing that separated them. The feel of his arousal pressed up against her again shocked a small part of her, the part that seemed to be trying to cling onto some sense of reason. But the rest of her didn't care and seemed to take great pleasure in the feel of him pressed up against her as he held her in his steel like grip. Instinctively, she pushed back against him and he tore his mouth from his lips and trailed white-hot kisses down the column of her throat.

Over the sounds of the music, she could hear their panted breathing and she gripped his shoulder. The hot skin underneath her hand was taught and she could feel the strength of him. He continued to attack her neck with his lips as he steered her backwards towards a gilded settee that sat against one wall. When the back of her legs hit the furniture, she fell back onto the seat and looked up to see him standing over her.

The look in his eyes was unmistakeable, they were burning with barely controlled desire and she could see he was silently asking for permission to continue. The tension in the room seemed to multiply and Maria tried to concentrate on her breathing as she looked up at him. The top of his shirt was unbuttoned and his hair was falling into his eyes. Her eyes drifted lower and her breath caught at the sight of his arousal straining against the confines of his trousers.

Her eyes flicked back up to his face and she swallowed loudly as she extended a shaky hand towards him.

* * *

A/N The song the Captain was playing the piano to is the Swan Lake Suite, Op.20 II: Waltz by Tchaikovsky. And the nursery rhyme is just an old one about magpies which I am sure most of you have heard before.

*Fun depends on your point of view. No refunds or exchanges given.  
^Terry Pratchett, _The Truth_ – I think it's based on a Mark Twain quote or something but I like the wording of his more.  
#Stolen line from Die Trapp Familie.


	7. Ice Dance

Chapter Seven:  
Ice Dance (Edward Scissorhands)  
 _\- Danny Elfman_

* * *

Maria tried to still the mad beating of her heart as her hand hung in the air. In the dim light, she could see that her fingers were shaking. After what seemed forever, the Captain finally took her hand and dropped to his knees in front of her.

"So, how do you feel?" he asked, his voice was low and it held a certainly quality she'd never heard before.

"I-I don't know," she said, trying to speak evenly, but it came out more as a strangled whisper.

Letting go of her hand, he cupped her ankle and took her shoe off before doing the same thing to the other foot. His hands then skimmed up the sides of her legs until they reached the back of her knees, where he paused.

Her breath hitched as his hands moved back down the sides of her legs before he then dragged them back up the inside of her calves. The feel of it was agonising, not just because he was doing it ever so slowly, or because the thin nylon of her stocking separated her skin from his but because it seemed to unleash some burning itch that she could feel all over her body. Her fingers gripped the edge of seat as her body thrummed.

His hands left her legs and moved to her arms as he joined her on the settee. Maria tried to concentrate on breathing, but the way he was looking at her was making it impossible. The look in his eyes was piercing. He looked utterly dishevelled, just like he had _that_ night. But it was different this time. What she had seen that night only paled in comparison to the way he looked at her now.

Breaking eye contact, he kissed his way up one arm before whispering in her ear, "Do I make you feel uncomfortable, Maria?"

He had asked her the same question all those nights ago, and then, it had been in a somewhat cautious tone. But now, he had practically purred it into her ear and the sound of his voice alone had sent shivers down her spine and she felt an ache throb between her legs.

"No," she breathed.

She felt him move his lips down her neck before nipping softly at her shoulder, causing her to gasp in surprised delight. Before she knew what was happening, she was lying on her back, slightly propped up by some cushions, as he continued to leave kisses all up her neck and then along her jaw as his hands pinned her in place.

"Good," he purred again, his voice deep, "Because I want you to feel anything but uncomfortable."

Later, Maria would reflect that a voice should never have the power to make someone feel the way he managed to make her feel. It was both unbearable and wonderful at the same time. Her hands went to the waistcoat he still wore and undid the buttons before pushing it open in a desperate attempt to get closer to him. Gripping handfuls of his shirt, she tried to bring him towards her and her movements caused her leg to brush against something hard.

There was the sound of his low groan before his hands skimmed the undersides of her breasts through the fabric of her dress. And she was very much aware of his panted breathing in her ear as his hands moved feverishly over her. A small part of her mind was screaming at her, telling her they needed to stop but she didn't want to stop. Her body was full of an intense longing, the way he was making her feel was exhilarating and her thoughts all seemed to only be able to focus on the feel of him. She couldn't help the moan that escaped her as his hands continued to move over her body.

Suddenly, he was pulling away from her and in one swift movement he stood up, grabbed her hand and was dragging her through the ballroom. Still lost in a lust filled daze, Maria followed without a complaint as he pulled her through the house, up the stairs, down the long hallways and into her own room. Without another word, he turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

Maria stood still for who knew how long, unable to process what had just happened and went to finally take a step towards the door when it opened again. The Captain walked back in, placed a key in her unresisting hand as he muttered, "Lock the door," and then left again.

Looking down at the key in her hand, she just blinked a few times before moving, as if in a dream, to lock her door. But then, as if she'd been violently shaken awake, she suddenly unlocked it and headed back out into the dark hallway.

 _How dare he just throw me into my room like some misbehaving child?_ Maria was suddenly furious, how could he treat her this way? She wasn't some toy for him to pick up and play with whenever he felt like.

Hurrying along the empty corridors until she reached his room, she pushed down on the handle and let herself in. He was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt when she walked in and she shut the door behind her.

"Maria, what are you doing in here?" he hissed.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing?'" she said, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice, "You said that you l-loved me, then you were kissing me and-and then suddenly you stop and lock me in my room!"

She watched as he started to pace up and down in front of her, his fingers twitching. Maria had never seen him so agitated before. He was always so in control, so calm – so buttoned up. The closest she had been to seeing him like this was the day she had fallen in the lake with the children, when he'd returned home from Vienna, and they had argued.

"Maria, I took you back to your room before we did something you would regret," he said, still pacing in front of her, "You are going to be a nun after all. A _nun_. I should not have said or did anything."

 _A nun_ , he had said and she could hear the anguish in his words. While Maria knew that her path with God was no longer the one she had believed, she hadn't thought to tell him that. She had wanted to speak to the Reverend Mother first, to get some help and advice. It was what she always wanted; at least it had been up until now. And she had been feeling quite lost after her unsettling dream.

Gathering her courage, Maria finally whispered, "I'm not going to be a nun."

"I mean, what I was about to do-" the Captain was saying, until he stopped and turned to look at her. "What did you just say?"

Maria tried to take a calming breath before she replied, "I'm not going to be a nun."

"What made you change your mind?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes boring into hers.

"I-I, um," Maria started and then swallowed. "Well, I had a dream…" She gave a small shrug at that, realising she sounded a little silly but continued on, "And it made me realise that I would feel trapped in the abbey, I wouldn't be free. It was the first place I ever felt safe, like I had a home, but now…"

The Captain just watched her, and Maria attempted to breathe as he then started to walk slowly towards her. She was incredibly aware of the tension in the air and she felt like her whole body was strung tight like the strings on her guitar.

"But now…" he coaxed, as he came and stood about a foot away from her.

Standing in his room, the smell of him was overpowering and all she wanted was for him to continue whatever it was he had been doing to her down in the ballroom. She felt her face flush at the thought and she mentally shook herself.

She exhaled shakily and bit her bottom lip. "Now…here feels like home." And then she added, in some weird form of self-defence, "With the children."

"With the children," he repeated.

She nodded, unable to trust her voice. "Mmhmm."

"You are the worst liar," he said and she saw his lips quirk into that maddening smirk. She wondered, not for the first time, whether he could read her thoughts.

"Then why are you asking me?" she retorted.

"Because I want-I need to hear you say it," he said, "I need to know this isn't a dream."

"You dream about me?" Maria asked, unable to stop herself.

She didn't know why she kept asking questions. He was slowly closing the distance between them and all she could think to do was keep talking. The way he was looking at her was hypnotising and nerve-wracking all at once.

"Constantly," he replied hoarsely, "Now, give me a truthful answer. Would you stay here?"

Maria was nonplussed for a moment before she said, "Stay here? With you?"

"Yes," he said. And then he paused briefly before asking, "What would you say if I asked you to marry me?"

 _Marry him?_ Like ink pouring into water, her mind was suddenly filled with images of what her life would be like. The threads of these thoughts seemed to wrap around her heart and she couldn't deny the tug she felt. She could see herself with the children, how could she not? She would be their mother, looking after them and keeping them safe. Seeing them grow. Could she live her life with _him_? She remembered all their late night talks, and how much she enjoyed his company. Her eyes then flicked towards the bed that lay several feet away. Could she sleep in that bed, with him, every night for the rest of her life?

 _Yes._

She was struck so suddenly by the blow of how she felt. She hadn't even understood half of the feelings she had until he had asked that question. But the thought of being with him, to have him hold her, kiss her and _touch_ her. Maria felt her face suffuse with heat again and she dragged her eyes away from the bed to look back him. He was right in front of her now, only about a breath away.

Lifting her gaze to his, she felt the tug low in her stomach again and she reached out and gently cupped his face. She could feel the rough stubble that was already growing back on his face underneath her hand.

"Yes," she said slowly, "Georg."

As soon as his name had left her lips, his were on hers again. But it wasn't the same kind of kiss he'd given her before. It wasn't wild or scorching, but soft and tender. It was full of promise, and she instantly melted into it. She moved her arms to loop around his neck and she felt his arms embrace her. Sighing, she let herself relax into him and she let her head drop to his shoulder.

"Maria," he whispered, his mouth right by her ear.

"Mmm," she hummed.

"I think it would be best if you returned to your room."

Maria felt her face fall, she didn't want to leave and go back to her room. The feeling of being in his arms, and being free to actually be there, was so soothing that the thought of leaving was enough to make her heart sink.

"Oh, I understand," she said and slowly detangled herself from him.

"Unless…" he started to say.

"Yes?" she questioned earnestly.

"You could stay for a little while and we could just talk," he said and gestured to a cosy looking bay window couch.

Nodding, she let him lead her by the hand and he sat down across it, his legs outstretched. Moving next to him, he pulled her close as he wrapped an arm around her so her head was lying on his chest. The curtains were still drawn back and so she could see out the large windows and onto the lake outside. The moon was hanging in the sky and it glinted off the water.

"Thank you," she heard him say, and she felt the rumble in his chest as he spoke, "for staying, even though I know you didn't want to."

"It would have been wrong to leave, as much I was tempted to," Maria said, "It wouldn't have been fair to the children. And I couldn't face telling the Reverend Mother what I had done."

"Maria," he sighed, "You didn't do anything wrong. It was my own fault, and I cannot apologise enough for how much I upset you. I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me," Maria said slowly, "At least, no more than I hurt myself. I was so desperate to cling onto something that I was never going to have. I think a part of me just thought if I couldn't have you, then I at least would have God."

As she said the words, she realised how true they were. She had been denying how she felt, scared because she didn't understand. This house had become a home to her because of the people in it. And at first, going back to the abbey had been easier to deal with it because she had still believed it to be her home, where she belonged. But upon realising that it wasn't, she had felt so utterly lost. She had thought, no matter what, she would have God's love.

As if reading her thoughts, in that uncanny way he seemed to do, her Captain said, "Just because you aren't going to be a nun doesn't mean you love God any less. That's not how it works, Maria."

"I know, I mean, I know that now – at least I think I do," she said, as she let her hand splay against his chest.

The heat underneath her fingers were reassuring and she could feel the steady beat of his heart.

"I was going to go see her tomorrow, the Reverend Mother," Maria went on, "I was going to tell her I had decided not to become a nun and I couldn't take my vows. I didn't know what I was going to do. But I just suddenly understood I didn't belong there, no matter how much I tried."

There was the feeling of him gently kissing the top of her head and pulling her in closer. She was suddenly reminded of the way he had held her hand when they were stuck in the kitchen pantry together. His touch then had been so reassuring, so comforting.

"It's hard to let go of what you knew," she heard him say, his voice low, "But you can't let it drown you. Trust me, it doesn't work."

She smiled in the darkness and held onto him a little tighter. The seconds ticked by in silence and Maria felt, for once, that she didn't need to say anything. She just let the feel of his hand, which had been tracing lazy patterns on her arm, lull her into a warm haze. Listening to the sound of his heartbeat and measured breathing, Maria gazed out over the lake again and up at the mountains until she felt her eyes drift shut. And she was sure she heard him whisper, "I love you," into her hair before she fell asleep.

 **XXX**

Georg's arm was numb and there was a painful twinge in his neck that caused him to leave the land of sleep and wake. He opened his eyes slowly and tried to focus. There was the hazy pre-dawn light seeping over the sky and he looked down to see Maria with her head on his chest and her arm flung over his middle.

He stared at her for some time; unable to believe she was actually there. He watched her face, with her lips slightly parted, as she breathed. Her dark lashes were a stark contrast to the cheeks they rested on and he found himself counting every freckle on her face in a desperate attempt to remember everything about her lovely face.

The memories from only a few hours ago came floating back to him, and he tried to suppress the urge to groan at the memory of her pinned underneath him. He had been so close to taking her then and there in the ballroom, so overcome with lust due to his lowered inhibitions. But it would not have been fair to her, and she deserved so much more than that. No matter how eagerly she had responded to him. The recollection that she had agreed to marry him immediately lifted his spirits even higher. He was certainly going to make sure they had one long and _thorough_ honeymoon.

Swallowing hard at these tantalising thoughts, he shifted and tried to sit up, the couch becoming unbearably uncomfortable. He moved a gentle hand down her face and whispered her name softly. She gave a delectable sigh and then he watched as she opened her eyes and look around in slight confusion. Her large blue eyes looked up at him and then she smiled

"Hello," she said in a breathless whisper.

"We must have fallen asleep," he said, feeling an idiot for stating the obvious, "You will need to return to your room before the housemaids wake up."

He felt her arm tighten briefly around him before she sighed and started to sit up. She gave him another smile, one of those large, infuriatingly charming smiles that he hadn't seen in weeks. Her hair was a messy halo about her face and her dress was crumpled; Georg decided that she had never looked prettier than she did right now.

Standing up with her, he walked to his door but before she could turn the handle he pulled her into him. _Just one more kiss_ , he told himself, _just one._

Pressing his lips against hers, he held her close and he felt her arms wrap around his middle. Her lips were so soft and it took all the willpower he had to break away from her and rest his chin on her head.

"Goodnight, Maria," he said, kissing her forehead and pulling away from her.

"Goodnight," she said and then gave a nervous smile. "Georg."

The sound of her saying his name was something he knew he would never tire of hearing. Reluctantly stepping away from her, he opened the door and peeked out. Seeing it was clear, he stepped back and watched her walk back to her room until she was out of sight.

* * *

A/N Relatively short chapter for me, but it was difficult. I wrote two versions and then rewrote this one a few times. Not entirely satisfied with it but hey, at least you get something happy. The other version was a lot more, uh, risqué. I might use it for something else or maybe as an epilogue of some kind. I dunno, what do you guys think? UPDATE 30/9: Alternate version is posted as a seperate story "Symphony No. 6: The Risqué Reprise


	8. Wein, Weib und Gesang!

A/N Thank you to everyone who has reviewed - especially to the guest ones that I can't respond to personally!  
 _Clare_ – that is such a clever idea. I agree with _Jamie_ why aren't you writing your own stories?!

I will be doing an epilogue but not just yet. Because of the events of this story, a lot of things changed and so did the characters, so it wouldn't fit in with what I have planned for my engagement/wedding story for HCTS. If you want, you can accept Chapter Seven as the end if you do not wish to continue or do not like angst – though if you don't like angst I have no idea why you are reading this story haha. This chapter is pretty cheery for me anyway.

Chapter Eight:  
Wein, Weib und Gesang!  
 _\- Johann Strauss ll_

* * *

As Maria awoke the next morning, she rolled over in the large bed and hugged her pillow tightly. The memory of her head on the Captain's chest and the reassuring weight of him made her smile into the pillow. She couldn't believe the events of last night – well a few hours ago, had actually happened. It had been a rollercoaster of emotions and she still felt overly tired but she needed to go to the abbey and speak with the Mother Abbess.

Rising, she promptly showered and then opened the door to leave but paused when she saw the key still in the door. Grasping it, she pulled it out of the lock and looked at it critically. She had been so angry when he had basically asked her to lock herself in her room. Though, she knew why he had done it – and that thought sent a delicious shiver down her spine. But then she wondered what would have happened if he hadn't stopped and they had continued down in the ballroom. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard.

She had never experienced kisses like the ones he had given her. And she had certainly never been caressed that way before. Her brief dalliance with a local boy as a teenager during the spring festival had been a few chaste kisses and a clumsy grope that had left her feeling nothing but awkward. It certainly hadn't swept her off her feet like all the fairy tale stories had promised.

Her eyes continued to stare at the key and she saw it was very strange looking; it had a very gothic appearance and the key itself just looked odd. Pocketing it, she pushed the key out of her mind and headed downstairs.

* * *

While Georg sat in his study consuming his breakfast, Frau Schmidt entered with a knock.

"Good morning, Captain," she said, "Fraulein Maria wished me to tell you that she has gone to visit the abbey and shall return later this morning. Also, Franz is ready to escort Baroness Schraeder to the train station."

The housekeeper was giving him a slightly questioning look, which he ignored as he rose from his seat.

"Thank you, Frau Schmidt," he said politely and walked out into the foyer as Elsa descended the stairs.

She gave him a small smile and said, "Good morning, Georg. I was hoping we could avoid this. I have never been a fan of awkward goodbyes."

Georg gave a stiff nod. "I want to apologise again, Elsa. I'm sorry things did not work out as planned."

"Not to worry, darling," Elsa said with an elegant shrug. "I'm perfectly capable of surviving without you. Despite what you think, Georg, you are not the beginning and the end."

Georg simply raised an eyebrow at that and walked her out the front door as Franz loaded her multitude of bags into the car. After she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a brief longing look, she slid into the car and was gone before he knew it.

Returning inside, he headed back to his study to finish his breakfast. While he was sure Elsa would not spread any gossip – and not because she cared for him or Maria, but because she cared for herself. He was not sure about the Vogels. The insinuations the little rat had made last night and the way he had behaved towards Maria left him in little doubt that there would be rumours flying in no time.

Just like Max had said, as soon as everyone knew Elsa had returned to Vienna, there would be talk. He would need to speak to the children and tell them of the engagement, lest they somehow hear anything horrible. But he would also need to sit down and talk with Maria, she wasn't used to the society that he lived in. Her kindness and honesty weren't something the upper class of Austria believed in, they would much rather something more exciting and scandalous – no matter how little truth there was to it.

* * *

Walking up to the large iron gate of Nonnberg Abbey, Maria rang the bell and idly waited for one of the sisters to arrive and let her in. Once inside, she waited patiently until she was greeted by the warm tones of Sister Margaretta.

"Oh, Maria!" said Sister Margaretta as she approached. "How lovely to see you. What brings you here today?"

Maria smiled at the older woman. "I was hoping to see the Reverend Mother this morning, it is very important."

"I'm so sorry, dear, but the Reverend Mother is too busy today," said Sister Margaretta sincerely. "Maybe I could be of some help?"

Maria shook her head and said, "No, I must speak with her. When may I see her?"

"How about tomorrow? If you come around lunch time that should be fine, Maria." The Sister gave her an encouraging smile at Maria's disappointed face. "I am sorry, Maria, but she is very busy at the moment."

Offering a weak smile, Maria bid farewell to Sister Margaretta and headed back out the large gate and walked down the steps back towards the inner city streets. She walked absentmindedly, glancing in the store windows as she went until she came to the bus stop and waited patiently for the next bus back to Aigen. She probably should have called first, it had been silly to come all this way without checking to see if the Mother Abbess was actually free to see her. But she had been so desperate to talk to her that she hadn't even considered the possibility that she wouldn't be able to.

She knew the Captain- wait no, his name is _Georg_ , she told herself, would want to tell the children. But she had wanted to speak with the Reverend Mother first, just for a little peace of mind. She needed to know it was all right. Everything had seemed much simpler in the darkness of the night - in the daylight, she just felt a little unbalanced. Like it had all been some strange dream. She felt very much like Alice and she had fallen down the rabbit hole.

The roar of the bus distracted her from her thoughts and she hopped on, trying not to let her worries get in the way. She was supposed to be feeling happy, not lost. Finally the bus reached her stop and she made her way down the dusty lanes until she came to the large villa. The sense of déjà vu struck her as she peered through the iron gates before pushing them open and walking up to the front door and ringing the bell.

When Franz let her in, looking unimpressed as usual, she headed straight for Georg's study and knocked politely on the closed door.

"Come in."

Pushing the heavy door open, she walked in and shut it behind her. He had piles of paper strewn over his desk and his face was set in a determined expression as he flicked through a few pages. Maria instantly felt her breath catch in her throat when his eyes left the paperwork and locked with hers. For one wild moment she wondered if she _had_ dreamt the whole thing but then she saw his expression soften as his gaze burned into her.

"Are you going to ask if I'm real again?" he questioned, with a smirk tugging at his lips.

He stood up and leant casually against the desk as he held out a hand to her. Maria grasped it as she neared and brought herself into his arms, her head resting in the space between his neck and shoulder.

"No," she said quietly, "Though, I won't lie and pretend that the thought didn't cross my mind."

Maria felt his arms hold her tightly as she breathed him in and she wondered if it was possible to just stay here forever. And then it hit her that she could. He was going to be her _husband_ , and that thought sent a shiver down her spine and she felt a wave of warmth pass over her. She didn't have to let go and she didn't have to pretend anymore.

"Did you speak with the Reverend Mother?" he asked, and she felt the rumble of his voice.

"No, she was too busy to see me today," Maria said with a sigh, "She will see me tomorrow at lunchtime."

"I can drive you in then," Georg said.

Maria looked up at him and said, "You don't have to. I can get the bus."

Peering down at her he just smiled and said, "No fiancée of mine is going to get the bus. Either myself or Franz can take you."

"I'm not a child, I can take care of myself," Maria said, pulling back from him slightly. "I don't need to be driven about."

He sighed. "Maria, I know that – I am _very_ aware of that. But you are going to be my wife and I can't have you catching the bus. You are going to be a baroness, baronesses do not catch the bus."

A baroness. Oh goodness, that hadn't even occurred to her. She didn't know how to be a baroness; she didn't even know what fork to use. She usually just copied whatever the children did. What did a baroness have to do? Did she have to practice how to curtsy? Did she need to learn how to do tapestry?

Her face must have been a picture of confused horror because he hastily spoke to her.

"Please don't panic, there's not much to it. You just need to see to the running of the household and I can teach you all that. Frau Schmidt can help you too."

 _Running of the house? Not much to it?_ That sounded like there was a lot to it.

"Run the house? Isn't that what Frau Schmidt does?" Maria asked. "She's the housekeeper, so doesn't she keep house?"

"To an extent," Georg said, "But she gets her orders from the lady of the house. Since there has not been one, I just let her decide everything – it was much easier. Anything important was left to me but mostly, I left her in command."

Maria's brow furrowed. "What exactly do I have to do?"

"Um, just a minute," he said and walked over to a bookshelf and riffled through the tomes until he pulled out a battered looking book that he handed to her. "This might be of some help. It's a little out of date but it still could be useful."

Maria looked at the book and read the fading words: _The Golden Book for Housewives: A Guide Through the Year. Together With Five Hundred Recipes and One Thousand Advices._

One thousand? That didn't sound nearly enough to Maria.

"I know it seems daunting, but you will be fine," she heard him say. "You managed to sort out seven children, so I don't think you will have any problems. And I am always here to help. We are a team, Maria."

Glancing back up at him, Maria offered a smile. As long as they were a team, she would be fine. It didn't stop her from feeling a little terrified at the prospect. But he was right; she was able to look after seven children. It couldn't be that much harder?

At that thought, she asked, "Must we tell the children today?"

"Yes, I think it would be best if we told them sooner rather than later," he said and Maria heard the slight undercurrent of tension in his voice.

"Do-do you think they will be unhappy with the news?" Maria asked, her heart suddenly sinking.

He stared at her for a minute and said, "No. But I think we need to talk. Please come sit down with me."

She followed, her nerves on edge, as he led her to a leather couch in the corner of his study. Sitting down next to her, he grasped her hands in his and gazed into her eyes intently.

"I think you should be aware that it won't take long for people to know that Elsa has left and returned to Vienna." Maria nodded at this and he continued, "People will talk, and then they will talk even more when they hear I am to marry you."

Maria's brow creased in confusion before her eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh," she said softly. "They will think…" But she couldn't finish the sentence and so she just let it hang in the air.

"Yes," he said, "I just think you should be aware that people talk and gossip. It means nothing. Rumours are spread by people filled with hate and accepted as truth by idiots – and you are not an idiot. No matter what you may hear, Maria, I want you to know that I am marrying you because I love you."

His words had been soft, but there had been a hard edge to them – a demanding tone that begged to be understood. His blue eyes were boring into her and she couldn't deny she wanted him to kiss her. There was such an intense power to him that was utterly thrilling. And it made her wonder how much of himself he kept locked away. After last night – and the night of the puppet show, she had caught brief glimpses of that man, and she couldn't deny she wanted to see more.

Shyly, she leant into him and pressed her lips against his. His hands went straight into her hair as he brought her in closer. Maria breathed an, "I love you," against his mouth and she felt one of his arms wrap around her waist and pull her into him. She was practically sitting in his lap and suddenly his tongue was begging entrance to her mouth. Parting her lips, she let him in and all her cares flew out her mind as she let him stroke her into submission. She could feel his large hand gripping the side of her waist until it slid up a little higher and his thumb gently grazed underneath her breast through the cotton of her dress.

Because some narrative conventions must be obeyed, there was a knock at the door and they broke apart instantly. Maria hastily stood up and smoothed down her dress as Max breezed in, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.

"Good morning," he said, sauntering over to them.

"Good morning," she replied, hoping that he hadn't seen them but certain that her flushed face was giving her away.

Georg was still sitting, his back to Max, and she saw the irritated scowl on his face before he schooled his expression and stood up.

"I wouldn't have expected you up until at least afternoon, Max," Georg said, turning to face the impresario.

Max just gave a shrug as Maria said, "Well, I best go see to the children. Excuse me."

She hurried out of the room, leaving the two men behind her.

* * *

Max continued to stare knowingly at Georg as Maria left the room.

"Well?" Max asked.

Georg raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, what, Max?"

"I can't help but think I interrupted something just now. The little nun looked very flustered," Max said, not bothering to conceal his amusement.

Deciding to get straight to the point, Georg said, "I asked her to marry me."

Max stared at him, the amusement totally absent. "What?"

"I asked Maria to marry me and she has said yes."

"Are you serious?"

Georg felt the anger flare up and he glared at Max, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"She's the governess," Max said, "I mean, she's a lovely girl. But well, that's it. She's a girl. I could tell there was something going on but I thought you just wanted to bed her."

Georg immediately saw red but settled for clenching his fists as he tried to restrain his growing anger.

"So, you have no problem with me stealing her virtue when you believed her to be becoming a nun but are against me marrying her?" Georg said, his tone deadly.

"Look, Georg," Max said in a placating voice, "I have no use for morals, so I will not force them on others, but marriage is a big deal. And like I said last night, people are going to talk. Naval heroes do not usually go and marry common mountain girls."

"Maria is not common, Max," he hissed.

He had expected Max to be more understanding, he really had. Georg had not expected this kind of reaction. And while he didn't care what other people thought, he had expected his friend to be somewhat understanding.

"I was going to ask if you would accept the role of main chaperone until my sister can get here," Georg said. "If you do not wish to do so, then you may go to your room and pack your things. I can have Franz take you to the station."

Max just stared at him disbelieving for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Georg," Max said carefully, "I am just surprised. Maria is a wonderful person and I can tell she cares for you - and the children, a great deal. I have nothing against her but other people will. I just want you to be sure."

"Why, Max, don't tell me _you_ care?" said Georg acidly. "Or are you still plotting on how to get my children, and her for that matter, into the festival?"

Max said nothing but just raised his eyebrows and made a non-committal noise.

"Whatever, Max," Georg said exasperatedly, waving a hand, "I don't care for your reasons, just make sure you do your job. I want to make it clear that you are to stick to Maria like your life depends on it – or at least like your next meal does, because it will. I will not have any more salacious rumours started. I am sure there is plenty already."

"Of course, Georg," Max said, "Will you still want me to be stay when Hede arrives?"

"Yes," Georg replied, "The more people I have here the better. Especially more reputable people." And he gave Max a pointed look at that. "Can you see if your cousin would be able to stay as well? Does she still live in Vienna?"

Max frowned. "Henrietta? Yes, she does. I can ask her but I can't guarantee she will come."

"Just try, please, Max," Georg said.

Nodding, Max turned and made his way out but paused at the door, his hand on the handle.

"Like my life depends on it?" he asked.

"Yes."

* * *

Maria was lying on the grass outside by the lake with Gretl and Brigitta next to her as they pointed out shapes in the clouds above. She hadn't said a word about her engagement to the children; she wanted them to announce it together. And while she had wanted to talk to the Reverend Mother first, it was hard being with the children and keeping a secret from them. And she couldn't deny she was incredibly nervous about it.

While she knew the children cared for her greatly, she also knew that being a governess was one thing and a mother was a completely different thing.

"Friedrich, don't push me!" she heard Louisa say.

"I didn't push you, you got in the way so I guided you back to your own side," Friedrich replied.

"That's fancy talk for pushing me."

Maria sat up and looked over to the pair, who had their shoes and socks off as their feet dangled in the lakes edge while they each gently placed a small boat on the water. Liesl was watching them as she braided daisies into Marta's hair and Kurt was fixing the sails of his own boat as he watched the two squabble.

"Friedrich, Louisa, behave," Maria said. "Your father will get boiling mad at me if you fall in. Again."

"Yes, Fraulein Maria," they both chorused.

Kurt counted down from three and then Friedrich and Louisa pushed their boats out on the water. They were trying to race them across the lake and each boat had a long thread of fishing string attached so they could reel them in again. The gentle breeze blew the little boats along and Maria lay back down.

"That one looks like a rabbit," said Gretl.

"You think they all look like rabbits," replied Brigitta.

"They're all so fluffy," said Gretl. "So, they must be rabbits."

Maria watched the clouds, which were quite fluffy, drift on by. The wind was gently blowing the crisp scent of the changing season over the lake and she closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the cool summer air. It would be autumn soon and everything would change. In more ways than one.

"Sleeping on the job, eh, Fraulein?" came an amused baritone above her.

Maria's eyes snapped open and she saw Georg standing over her.

"What? No, I was just-"

"I can't have a governess sleeping on the job," he said seriously. "I am afraid I am going to have to let you go."

Maria's face was a picture of utter confusion and she sat up to look at him properly. The children by the lake had walked over at the appearance of their father and were watching the exchange with slight panic in their eyes.

"But I am-" she started again but he cut her off.

"No, I won't hear any excuses," he said and he tapped his finger against his chin in mock thought. "I mean children, you cannot expect me to let this woman be your governess?"

Gretl immediately sat up and clutched at Maria, her little face frowning up at her father.

"You can't let her go, Papa, we love her."

"Oh, but she fell asleep Gretl, I can't have a lousy governess."

Maria went to open her mouth again to protest and then she realised what he was doing. That devious man. She smiled but hastily tried to wipe it away.

"Please, Papa!" Brigitta said as he crouched down next to them.

"Hmm, well maybe she could stay," Georg said. "But not as your governess."

All the children looked at him and Maria tried her best to still the butterflies that seemed to have suddenly taken up residence in the pit of her stomach.

"She could stay forever," Georg said.

"Forever?" Liesl repeated.

"Yes, forever," he said, "If she married me, she could stay here forever."

Maria held her breath, terrified to look any of the children in the eye.

"You have to ask her then," she heard Brigitta say simply.

"All right," Georg said, and turned to face Maria, "Will-"

"No!" Liesl interrupted and Maria felt her heart stop. "You can't do it like that, Father! She has to stand up and you have to ask her."

Maria felt her heart speed up again and she stood up while he remained crouched at her feet.

"Maria," he said, grasping her hand in his, "will you stay with us, forever?"

"Yes," she said, "Forever."

* * *

A/N The conversation between Georg and Max was inspired thanks to a little chat I had with lemacd, so thank you! Also that risqué version will probably just be posted as a seperate story. Not sure when I will post it, but I shall for those interested. If you want something risqué now you can read my latest story, Let's Misbehave - though it is M so not for anyone underage.

 _"The Golden Book for Housewives"_ is from the real Maria's book, Georg does give it to her but not in the same context.


	9. Vide Cor Meum

Chapter Nine:  
Vide Cor Meum (Hannibal)  
\- _Patrick Cassidy and Hans Zimmer_

* * *

The next day Maria was in the schoolroom with the children as they had their grammar and literature class. It was both strange and comforting to be doing the same thing she had been doing for the last several weeks after all that had happened.

Yesterday afternoon had been spent on the mountain having a wonderful picnic to celebrate the engagement with the children. It had been just like the dreams Maria had occasionally been having, except for one detail. In her dreams, it had been the eight of them all basking in the summer sun, and sometimes she had been sitting with the Captain and he would wrap her arms around her. Those dreams had made her feel so safe and wanted, and she been so excited for it to become a reality. But yesterday, there had been nine of them, not eight. Max had tagged along, not that Maria had minded, until she had gone to sit down next to Georg on the picnic blanket, while the children played, in hopes of stealing a few kisses. But Max had immediately joined them and continued to talk on and on, making sure to sit between the two of them. She had been irritated more than she cared to admit. But she had pushed the annoyance away and tried to just enjoy the lovely day for what it was.

However, later that night, she had gone to Georg's study to wish him goodnight and had hastily shut the door behind her. She had been about to fling herself into his arms when the door had opened (why hadn't she locked it?) when Max had strolled in claiming to need to talk to Georg. She was sure her scowl of annoyance would have cowed someone like Gretl but it did nothing in the face of Max Detweiler who just threw her that cheeky grin of his and continued on as if he wasn't ruining Maria's day. Of course, Maria knew that since they were engaged they needed to have a chaperone, but she was certain Max had not been with Georg and Baroness Schraeder every second. And while Georg had told her about the rumours that were sure to be flying around, she didn't see why Max had to be with them constantly. Though, it had only been one day, so maybe he would ease up after a little time had passed?

She was distracted from her thoughts when Georg walked into the room and she felt her heart swell at the sight of him. Continuing to help Kurt with his grammar, she dragged her eyes away from her Captain but she could hear him talking to Brigitta. The sound of his gentle baritone as he spoke to his daughter floated across the room and she found she hadn't heard a word Kurt had just said to her. Giving herself a little shake of the head, she returned her attention to Kurt.

"Is it nearly lunch yet, Fraulein?" Kurt asked.

Maria glanced at the clock. "Yes, Kurt," she said with a smile, "But finish this first and then you may all go to lunch. Your father is taking me into town today and I will be back later."

The boy nodded and Maria stood up to walk over to Georg and Brigitta.

"Hello," she said as she approached.

He gave her one of his devastatingly handsome smiles and stood up, and Maria immediately felt all the children's eyes on them.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," Maria said, and then she turned to Liesl, "Liesl do you mind finishing up? I think Kurt just has one worksheet left to finish."

"Not at all," Liesl said.

"Thank you," Maria said, "I shouldn't be too long and then when I get back we can play some games."

There were the delighted sounds from the children at this and she gave them a large smile before walking out the nursery schoolroom. She was aware of Georg follow behind her and then she felt him grab her by the arm and pull her into a side room.

Before she knew it, he had his arms wrapped around her and his mouth was on hers. Once the shock had passed, she responded back, pressing herself against him with a sigh.

"God, I missed you," he breathed against her neck.

Maria smiled. "You saw me at breakfast."

"Mmm," he purred into her neck. "But I didn't get to kiss you at breakfast."

A delicious shiver ran down her spine and she felt his arms tighten around her. His mouth was now caressing the tender spot behind her ear and she was very grateful that he was holding her because her knees had gone completely weak. She was enjoying herself immensely until the door opened and she heard someone speak.

"Ah-ha!" cried Max, "There you two are! I was getting worried."

Maria had jumped out of her skin and moved hastily away from Georg, who she saw hadn't moved one bit and was staring at his friend with a slightly irritated expression.

"Our apologies, Max," said Georg sardonically as he gently put a hand to the small of Maria's back and guided her out the door.

While they walked on downstairs and out towards the car, Maria waited until Max had gotten in the car until she hastily turned to Georg.

"Why is Max coming with us?" she whispered.

"He has business in town so I offered him a lift," Georg said smoothly, and then he added with a smirk, "Is that a problem?"

Maria felt herself blush and said, "No, of course not."

She slid into the front seat, with Max sitting in the back, and waited for Georg to get in. While she knew she shouldn't be annoyed, she was. Was it always going to be like this? Maybe they should have kept it a secret. And then she could see him whenever she wanted and nobody would be able to interrupt. That thought sent a delicious little shiver down her spine and she mentally chided herself. What was wrong with her? These thoughts were getting worse, it was like he had unleashed some wicked part of her that demanded to be pulled into dark corners and ravished. She felt her face flush again and loudly blew out a puff of air.

"Are you all right, Maria?" she heard Georg ask as they drove down the road.

"Hmm?" she said distractedly, and then remembering herself said, "Oh yes, I am fine."

She felt his eyes focus on her briefly but she kept her eyes on the road, watching the trees and mountains roll by. Once they had entered the inner city, Georg dropped Max off in town and they continued up towards the abbey. **  
**

Maria felt him reach a hand over and clasp hers. She smiled to herself and finally looked over to him, but his eyes were still locked straight ahead. He looked so handsome and refined in his suit, with his hair neatly combed back and his blue eyes focused on the road ahead. She was momentarily caught off guard as she had a mental flash of him with his shirt undone, hair a mess and eyes blazing as he forced the key into her unresting hand and commanded her to lock the door. Face going red for a third time, she looked away from him.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Ca-Georg?"

"Yes, Maria?"

"Um, you know that key you gave me?" she began, trying to sound calm even as the thought caused her heart to speed up. "Do you want it back? I meant to give it to you yesterday but I forgot."

"No, it's yours," he said, "There is only two of them, Frau Schmidt has the other."

"Mine? Why does Frau Schmidt have the other?"

"It's a skeleton key," he said and turned to glance at her briefly. At her confused expression he continued, "A skeleton key is just a master key. It will lock and unlock any door in the house. Traditionally, the lady of the house and the housekeeper are the only ones that hold a copy."

"Why not you?" Maria asked.

He gave a low chuckle and said, "I don't think those old ladies trusted any man to have a key that unlocked every door."

Maria frowned and said, "Why not? It's your house. Shouldn't you be able to go into any room?"

"I have keys to the main rooms and other parts of the house, but not the governess's room or the servant's quarter. No place where young women sleep."

She was struck again by the memory of him pulling her into her room and forcing the key into her hand.

"Oh."

"Indeed," she heard him say.

"So," Maria said, swallowing hard, "Um, you, ah-"

"I didn't want to be tempted to sneak into your room, no."

Maria just nodded her head, her mind reeling. Would he really have done that? No. Maybe? She had seen the look in his eyes when she had confronted him and heard the longing in his voice. In the ballroom, all that had been holding him back had been her devotion to becoming a nun; he had not known then that she had given up on those dreams. Now, that was no longer an obstacle for him to overcome. Would he really be that tempted to come into her room one night, now that was no longer an issue, and-and-and. Her mind rebelled, unable to even think the words. But she couldn't help the newly familiar tug low in her stomach at the idea. Her wicked thoughts were always on the edge of her mind, and the memory of his hands and mouth on her were never too far away, she could sometimes feel it like a soft breeze against her skin. She shivered.

"Are you sure you're all right, Maria?" he asked, turning to look at her again as he swiftly navigated his way towards the looming building of the abbey.

"Yes," she said weakly and then added in a stronger voice, "Yes, I'm fine."

They had reached the abbey and she watched him as he slowly came to a stop and parked the car.

"Maria," he said, turning to face her, "I don't want to overwhelm you or do anything you aren't comfortable with. I know what I did may not have been the most romantic gesture, but sometimes I just can't think properly when it comes to you."

He pulled her in for a quick searing kiss that left her feeling breathless and desperate for more. But he just sat back and gave her a small smile.

"Now," he said, "Do you remember that patisserie we went to the other day with children?"

Of course she did, it had been the day they got the puppets. And she had been waiting outside the patisserie shop while the children all selected some sinfully sweet creation. And then he had walked out and handed her a sweet, apple strudel – her favourite. And he had winked at her and she had felt her heart lift. Oh, she had been so stupid. Looking back now, it was so easy to see how much she had fallen already.

"Yes," she said finally, "I remember."

"Meet me there when you are done," he said, and then he winked at her.

He _must_ be able to read my mind, she told herself.

"All right," she said, a little breathlessly.

Hopping out of the car Maria gave him a smile and then walked to the large gate and rang the bell. She watched Georg drive away and shortly after he was gone, she was walking through the hallowed halls of the abbey and was outside the Reverend Mother's chamber before she knew it. Her nerves burst to life again and she tried her best to calm herself.

"Ave."

The door opened and Sister Margaretta greeted her with a smile as Maria walked in. As soon as she saw the Reverend Mother, her gentle face smiling up at her from her desk, Maria felt everything she'd been feeling the past few weeks rush to the surface and she practically ran over to her.

"Oh, Mother!" Maria said, as she hastily bent down and kissed the ring on the older woman's hand.

She felt the Reverend Mother gently pat her shoulder. "Please, sit, Maria."

Maria stood and sat down in the chair across from the Mother Abbess. Placing her hands in her lap, she couldn't help but twist them in her nervousness.

"Has something happened?" asked the Reverend Mother, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Well, yes," Maria said, unsure on how to even begin.

"Something bad?"

"Oh, no!" Maria said earnestly, "It's just I wanted to speak to speak with you. I was there on God's errand. And I shouldn't have, it was _wrong_. But I-"

The Reverend Mother held up her hand to silence Maria's stream of incoherent confessions. "Maria, please, just let me know what has happened."

Sucking in a breath, Maria said, "I no longer wish to take my vows."

Holding her breath, Maria watched as the Reverend Mothers eyebrows raised and disappeared somewhere into her wimple. And then she seemed to come to her senses, but continued to stare concernedly at Maria.

"Well, my child," she said slowly, "I am not sure what I should say to you about this matter. At one time you came to us because you wanted to devote your life to God, but now that you have been out in the world you have changed your mind?"

"Yes," Maria said, "I realised that while I did so desperately want to be part of the abbey and be one of the sisters, it is no longer where I belong." She gave a sad sigh and looked down at her hands in her lap. "I don't think I ever did."

"My daughter," the Reverend Mother said, "I sent you to the von Trapp villa because I believed that you needed to experience the world and see what you expected of yourself. But I am curious as to how you came about this decision."

"Well," Maria said slowly and risked looking up at the woman, "It was, uh, because of-of Georg."

The Reverend Mother's face was a picture of puzzlement before it cleared.

"Captain von Trapp?" she asked.

"Yes," Maria said, looking back down at her hands.

There was a moment of silence and the Reverend Mother asked, "Do you love him?"

Maria smiled and said softly, "I do."

"Then this is wonderful news, Maria," the older woman said with a gentle smile, though it faltered as she watched Maria continued to twist her hands in her lap. "You do not seem very happy, though."

"Oh, Mother, I am," Maria said quickly, "It's just, I was there on an errand of God and to ask for his love was wrong – wasn't it? That's what has been worrying me."

"My daughter," the Reverend Mother said kindly, "The love between a man and a woman is holy too. You have a great capacity to love. Just because you love this man, it doesn't mean you love God less."

Maria gave a wry smile, "The Captain said something very similar to me."

"Then he is a very wise man," said the Mother Abbess. "Does he return your love?"

"Yes," Maria said, "Very much so." She gave another smile and added, "Wholeheartedly, one might say. He has asked me to marry him."

The Reverend Mother looked at her and Maria felt any of the lingering worries she might have had float away.

The older woman gave her a reassuring smile. "Maria, I am so very glad that you have found the life you were born to live."

* * *

While Maria was with the Reverend Mother; Georg sat in the cosy patisserie, enjoying a slice of cake and a cup of coffee as he waited patiently for her to return. He heard the tinkling of the shop bell but paid it no mind until he saw the chair across from him move back and he smiled as he looked up, but it turned into a scowl when he saw Max.

"Max," he said irritably, "I thought you had business in town."

The impresario sat down, ordered a coffee and several different desserts, and waved a hand dismissively. "I did, and now I don't."

Georg's eyes narrowed, "That was awfully quick."

"I'm hurt, Georg," Max said, "One might think you do not wish to see me."

"I was wanting to spend some time with Maria," Georg said.

Max's eyebrows rose. "You're the one that told me I had to stick to her like my next meal depended on it, Georg. Plus, we are in public so shouldn't I be with you?"

Scowling, Georg said, "Yes." At that, Max gave him a triumphed look and so Georg added, "However, it's not like I was planning to pour cream on her and ravish her amidst the assortment of tortes though." Though that did sound like a _wonderful_ idea.

"Wouldn't even cross your mind, eh?" said Max with a grin.

"Hmph," Georg muttered, as the waitress came with Max's food and drink. "Anyway, you don't have to make it so obvious. You don't have to follow her all the time."

"Uh-uh, Georg," said Max, accepting his food from the waitress. "Nope, you said I had to and I take my duties very seriously – especially when it comes to my next meal. Besides, while she might not know what a scoundrel you used to be, I do."

Georg rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee as Max inhaled two apple strudels within a matter of seconds. He let his gaze drift over the room and tried to ignore the sound of Max's chewing. It was a relatively small shop with groups of small tables in cosy little corners, all decorated with lots of lace and far too much pink. But they made the best desserts and it was worth suffering through the décor, which reminded him strongly of his grandmother, just to taste their heavenly creations. There was the sound of the bell tinkling again and he saw Maria walk in and look around until she spotted them. He caught the disappointed look on her face as she saw Max.

"Hello," she greeted.

"How was your visit at the abbey?" Georg asked politely as he stood up and pulled a chair out for her.

"Oh, yes, it was good," said Maria with a relieved sigh as she sat down, "It was so good to see the Reverend Mother. She asked me if we had a date booked but I told her we hadn't discussed it yet."

"I can arrange that later," Georg said, and went to grab the hand she had resting on the table but heard Max clear his throat as he reached out, and ended up giving it an awkward pat before he drew his hand away.

Glancing at Max, the impresario gestured with his head to the other side of the room and Georg looked to see a group of women sitting at one of the tables. They were all looking at him and he watched as they all hastily turned away and started to whisper excitedly amongst themselves.

Turning his attention back to Maria and Max, he said, "But the sooner the better."

After another piece of cake and enjoyable conversation, Georg stood and gestured for them all to leave. Pulling out Maria's chair, he took her hand and helped her stand up, delighting in the slight pink tinge he saw creep on her face.

As they headed out, Maria paused and excused herself to go to bathroom. Letting her go, the men headed out of the shop, but Georg made sure to buy a large chocolate torte to take home for the children for after dinner.

"You know, Georg," Max said, "You are going to have to be careful with the things that might be dredged up."

"Like what?" Georg said irritably.

"Well, Maria might hear a few things you might not wish her to hear."

Georg gave his friend a scathing look and said, "Well you can keep your mouth shut then. I know how hard that might be, but I am sure you'll survive."

Max just sighed dramatically and gave a shrug.

Georg knew that his past was best described as, colourful, and for worse, despicable. He did not want Maria to learn any of the finer points about any of his past escapades before he met Agathe. That was in the past, and he wanted it to stay there. He'd been young, arrogant and very much aware of his effect on women. While Maria was far from a shy girl, she had spent a good amount of time locked away with a bunch of dried up old nuns. And she had a trusting innocence about her and so, in his despicable way, he could not wait to show her what she had been missing out on.

* * *

Maria went to walk out of the bathroom stall when she heard the snap of a makeup compact being open and a woman speak.

"Did you see Captain von Trapp?" said the woman excitedly.

"Yes!" came the loud whisper of another woman, "I cannot believe he is marrying his _governess_. I didn't believe Viktor when he told me, and seeing it with my own eyes I still find it hard to believe."

"Oh, I know. I feel so sorry for Baroness Schraeder. I would have hit him if I were her. I mean, imagine getting the help pregnant and then actually marrying her. And she was going to be a nun, too!"

Maria tried to quell the anger that rose like bile in her stomach as she tried to focus on breathing. She wanted to leave and not hear another word but she didn't want them to recognise her and know she had been listening.

"He is a honourable man, at least in that respect. But it can't be that surprising."

"How come, Lena?"

She heard the woman called Lena give a derisive laugh, "Haven't you heard about all the kind of trouble he used to get into before he married his first wife?"

"No."

"Well, you know that horrible Nora? As atrocious as she is, she does claim to have known the Captain _intimately_."

"No!"

"Yes, Hannah! She said he was utterly wild too, and so very charming. She said she just couldn't say no. So, I do feel a little sorry for that nun, I mean how could she resist?"

Hannah laughed. "I guess she didn't! Poor thing. She probably didn't know to do with herself."

"Ha, exactly! Nora even said that one night, they weren't alone…"

Maria covered her mouth with her hand to stop the gasp that escaped. But it didn't appear to have gone noticed as the woman called Hannah spoke over her.

"You cannot be serious?" said Hannah.

"I am. I wonder if that girl knows what she's gotten herself into. I mean, he does have seven children."

"Yes, but-"

" _Seven_ , Hannah. And he was hardly home at any rate, so it probably would have been _more_ if he could have managed it. He can dress and talk the way he does but we all know he's a womanising pirate underneath."

Taking another deep breath, Maria tried to still the urge to both yell and cry. She shook her head, as if this would make her forget what she had just heard. None of it was _true_. It was just gossip - it didn't matter. He _loved_ her. She heard the woman continue to gossip until they left the bathroom, laughing as they went.

Pushing the door open slowly, Maria poked her head out and upon seeing nobody, hurried outside. She saw Georg and Max standing by the car and walked over to them, trying her best to forgot the conversation she had just overheard.

"What took you so long?" asked Georg as he helped her into the car.

"Um, broken suspender," Maria said dismissively, saying the first plausible thing that popped into her head.

She saw his raised eyebrow and the smirk that tugged at his lips and she hastily averted her gaze. As they drove back to the villa, Maria kept quiet. Georg had said there would be rumours and gossip. But she hadn't expected it so quickly or for it to be so awful. She had been the end of gossip and rumours all her life, but it had never been anything like this. It was usually just how she misbehaved, or wasn't a proper lady. Those kind of things she was entirely used to.

But the kind of talk she had just overheard hadn't been something she had been apart of before. Besides, it was one thing to have some people talk about you and another thing entirely to hear people talk of someone you loved that way. It made her realise how little she knew about the man she had agreed to marry. And she was far too terrified to ask him about it, he had told her to ignore it. What if he just laughed at her for believing it?

And then there was that horrible little voice in the back of her head. The one that was always doubting her, the one that told her to run when she got scared, asked the question she didn't want an answer to.

What if it was true?

* * *

A/N I may take a little longer with updates from now on as I will be participating in Inktober and really want to finish it for once haha. So I will be putting my creative energy into that first. Also, I have no idea what the etiquette was with unmarried couples back then so I am just making it up. Same with the skeleton key, just making up stuff as I go. Tra-la-la! Also the risqué version of chapter seven is up, as a seperate story, for anyone that wants to read that.


	10. Salut d'Amour

A/N So this just kinda wrote itself. Turns out my hands didn't want to draw, but type, and I couldn't stop until I did. Does anyone else get like that or am I just crazy? I can't believe I'm at chapter ten, so much for a oneshot haha I've also gone and given the chapters all names, which are all pieces of instrumental music (some modern and some old). They are the songs that I mostly listened to while writing each chapter.

Anyway! Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Ten:  
Salut d'Amour: Op. 12  
\- _Edward Elgar_

* * *

While Georg was sure he hadn't done anything wrong, he had the feeling that he very much had – and he had done something _incredibly_ wrong. As soon as they arrived back to the villa, Maria had headed inside and gone to find the children. She had been unusually quiet, not saying a word since she had gotten into the car. And while she had been relatively quiet in the journey into town, he knew that had been due to being nervous about going to the abbey and seeing the Reverend Mother. She had been calm and happy while they had chatted and eaten away in the patisserie. But then that had all vanished after she had come back from the bathroom.

Later that day he had tried to get her alone to ask what was wrong but she was always with the children and he'd been unable to get a quiet word with her. So, he had waited until later that evening, hoping to speak to her after the children were in bed but she had never come down to his study. It wasn't until he heard the sound of Franz heading out to the front to lock the gates and then the front door did he realise how late it was. And so he had retired to bed, puzzled and determined to speak to Maria first thing in the morning.

But morning had come and she had busied herself at breakfast, talking to the children and Max. She hadn't downright ignored him, but she'd only given him polite answers, nothing more than required. It was like he had gone back in time to last week; he even went and checked the guest room to see if Elsa was still there in case he had suddenly gone crazy and imagined the past few days.

Of course, there had been no Elsa, and he'd actually stumbled across a few housemaids moving Maria's own things into the room across from the one Elsa had been in. The guest wing being a lot more lavish than the room provided for the governess. He'd watched the maids bring in boxes containing numerous new dresses, blouses, skirts and other items he'd had sent over from a select couturier in town. While they were nothing as decadent as the things Elsa would have purchased, the clothing was certainly more fitting than the clothes Maria had been previously wearing. And he had made sure that most of the clothes were all easy to move in so she could still play with the children, and slide down any bannisters if she so wished.

Leaving the guest wing, he headed for the nursery but found neither Maria nor any of the children. Confused and starting to get irritated, he walked back down to the main hall and then proceeded to search through every room. But there was no sign of the children or his whimsical wife-to-be, and so with a frustrated sigh he had headed out onto the terrace where a lounging Max was sitting.

"Where the hell are my children?" Georg demanded.

Max raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't let your intended hear you talking like that, Georg."

"I can't find her anywhere! Or the children."

Georg sat down with an irritated huff and glared at Max.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't know where they are," Max said.

"I asked you to keep an eye on her and you don't know where she is?" Georg asked.

Max gave him a long look and sat up straighter in his chair.

"First, you tell me to keep an eye on her all the time, then you tell me to leave her alone and now you're getting at mad me because I left her alone? I can't keep up, Georg," Max said.

"Max, I didn't mean for to abandon your duties all together – I just want to know where she is," he said in a dangerous voice.

"Oh hush, Georg, and don't try that tone with me – it won't work," Max said with a wave of his hand. "Besides, shouldn't you know where she is? You usually tend to know."

Georg ignored the last remark and said in clipped tone, "She has been avoiding me ever since we got home yesterday, I have no idea why."

"Are you sure?" Max asked, "Sometimes you might think you've done nothing wrong but then you find you actually have. I hear it's a common occurrence in relationships. Hence why I don't have any – well, at least not long ones."

"She was perfectly fine and then suddenly she wasn't," Georg said, and stood up. "You're no help-"

"You expected help from me? There goes my reputation," Max interjected.

"Hmph," Georg muttered, "Anyway, please let me know if you see her or the children."

Stalking off towards the gardens, Georg left Max on the terrace and hurried along the winding paths and entered the hedge maze. Navigating through the small hedges, he came to the centre, where a large statue from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland stood, and gazed around. But there was nobody except the gentle breeze that softly blew the scent of roses through the air. Turning sharply, he retraced his steps and continued his journey around the large grounds.

* * *

"I never realised how large this property was!" Maria said as she traipsed through the overgrown landscape until it began to thin out into neatly manicured lawns once more.

"Sometimes even we forget – I mean, before you came we were only allowed to walk around the front of the house. We weren't even supposed to go in any of the gardens," said Liesl, walking next to Maria.

Maria remained quiet and continued to walk, the rest of the children all walking or running ahead of her and Liesl. They had gone right down to the sides of the property. There had been a large gothic looking castle nearby, it had looked like something out of a fairy tale. Liesl had said it was where the Elberfeld's lived and Maria recalled the older couple from the party but she hadn't spoken to them. Georg had mentioned they were old friends of the family and only that they lived nearby. The thought sent a sharp pain through her chest, like it did whenever she thought of Georg right now.

She had been studiously avoiding him since yesterday and she had leapt upon Louisa's idea of going on a field trip for today's lesson. Anything that got her out of the house and away from him was fine by Maria. She was aware how childish she was being, avoiding him like this. But she had just needed some time to herself and she knew he wouldn't let it down until she told him what was bothering her. And so, she had taken the easier route of just avoiding the problem completely.

Finally the house came into view and she sent the children all scurrying inside to get changed and ready for dinner in an hour. She saw Max was sitting alone on the terrace and she sat down next to him to catch her breath from the long trek.

"Oh, hello, Maria!" Max said jovially. "Your mighty Captain has been looking for you." He gave her a cheeky grin but it slipped when he saw her grim expression.

"Oh, well, we went exploring today and lost track of time," Maria said.

"Forgive me for prying, but is something wrong?" Max asked.

Maria hesitated; she didn't really want to talk to Max about it but then, who else was she supposed to talk to? Maybe he could tell her the truth and then she wouldn't have to ask Georg? Besides, he'd been an annoying fly recently and she was wanting to know why.

"Um," Maria said, "Well, I've often heard you remark about how much of a 'rogue' Georg was in his youth and, uh, I was wondering what exactly you meant by that?"

She glanced at him and she saw his face had adopted an uncomfortable expression.

"I think that is something you should be talking to Georg about, not me," Max said carefully.

"I guess," Maria said, and then she asked, "I've noticed that you seem to be keeping an eye on us and I can't help but compare that to how much time you spent with him when Baroness Schraeder was here. You left them alone most of the time."

"Yes, well," Max began awkwardly, "It was more for show I guess, I mean they'd both been married before and so there was no question of, ah, anyone's honour to protect."

"You mean they…?" Maria asked horrified.

Georg had said that Elsa and him had never had a physical relationship, but then, he'd said a lot of things. And her trust in him was slowly starting to waver.

"Like I said, Maria," Max said quickly, "I think you should be talking to Georg, not me. As much as I wheedled Elsa for details, she never gave me any."

Maria was silent for a while before she asked, "You said 'protecting honour'. Do you think I need protecting?"

Max rubbed his nose and shifted in his chair. "Well, I mean, you have been living at the abbey and-"

"I wasn't _born_ there," Maria said hotly.

She was starting to get angry again, she wasn't a child! While Maria knew she was no worldly woman, she wasn't _stupid_.

"Look, Maria, I was only doing what Georg asked me to do," Max said, "I think you should be talking to him."

Maria's brow furrowed, she had assumed that Max had just decided to be annoyingly efficient for his own amusement. As Georg had always appeared utterly annoyed anytime Max had caught them alone together. Of course, they had to have a chaperone, but Maria didn't expect Max's behaviour to be because Georg had asked him to act that way.

"So, Georg told you to be with us all the time?" Maria asked, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Yes," Max said slowly, rubbing his nose again. "He wanted to avoid any more rumours being spread."

"How exactly does being with us all the time stop rumours being spread? You came with us on that picnic and we were just with the children. Unless the children are inclined to spread gossip I don't understand why you had to come." Maria stopped in her rant, "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so rude. I'm just trying to understand. Forgive me."

"It's all right, Maria," Max said with a small smile. "I can understand it must be frustrating. I really think you should talk to Georg though."

Maria went to open her mouth but she shut it when she spotted Georg walking across the garden, making a beeline straight for them. She could see the determined look in his eye and she stood up quickly, muttering something about seeing the cook about dinner.

She hurried inside and headed down the long corridor towards the kitchen, but instead of turning left into the kitchen, she turned right. Pushing the heavy door open, she walked down a few stone steps until she found herself in the cellar. The numerous shelves, and the walls, were lined with bottles and bottles of alcohol all glowing in the soft light. She had never come in here, but she just needed a moment alone to breathe properly.

But then there was the sharp measured steps of someone coming down the stairs and Maria didn't need to look to know who it was, so she hastily hid behind a shelf.

"I know you're in here," came the sound of Georg's voice.

Maria walked out from the shelf, trying to seem like she had been actually looking at the wine, to see Georg standing in the doorway, his arms braced against the inside of the archway.

She walked in front of the shelf, and looked at the bottles lining it, "I was just checking everything was all right for dinner."

Again, she heard the sound of his shoes tapping against the stone as he walked towards her. Focusing on the bottle in front of her, she resisted the temptation to look at him. She knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to pretend she was fine.

"O-ho, is that so?" she heard him say in that mocking tone he used when he knew she was lying.

"Yes," she said.

"I didn't realise you were such a wine connoisseur, Fraulein," he said, taking the bottle she was looking at.

Letting her gaze drift to him, she felt her breath catch. Why did he always have to look so good? Can't he just look horrible for once? He was wearing the dark grey suit he'd been wearing _that_ night, wearing the same jacket she herself had worn and been comforted by on the night of the party. And he looked so easily confident, standing there with the bottle in his hand as he scrutinised her with a raised eyebrow.

"Maria," he said, his tone completely losing it's teasing edge. "You have been avoiding me since yesterday afternoon. Please tell me what's wrong."

Exhaling shakily, Maria tried to calm her nerves. She placed her right hand on the edge of the shelf to stop herself from fidgeting and stared at it as she spoke.

"When we were at the patisserie the other day, I overheard some women talking in the bathroom."

She cast a quick glance at him and saw his expression had gone blank.

"Let me guess," Georg said, his voice icily calm, "They were talking about us?"

"Yes," Maria whispered.

"I told you not to listen to the gossip and rumours," she heard him say with a sigh.

"I know," Maria said, unable to look at him. "And it did just make me angry, what they said about me. But then…" She trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"Yes?"

Staring fixedly at a freckle on her hand, she said, "But then, they were talking about just you. And-and… They, um, said that you were _involved_ with a woman called Nora."

Risking another glance at him, she saw his face crease in puzzlement before it changed into grudging recollection. She felt her heart speed up and her stomach clench with nerves.

"Ah," he said, awkwardly, "You must understand Maria, I was overcome with grief and I was drinking quite heavily. I'm not proud of any of it-"

Maria had stopped listening, only one thing he had said had mattered.

"What do you mean, 'overcome with grief?'" Maria asked, scared that she already knew the answer.

"Well, when Agathe passed away, I didn't cope very well, as you are very much aware, and the first few months were the worst-"

Maria cut in again, "So you didn't know this woman before you were married?"

"Uh, well, yes, I did."

Maria could feel her heart thudding in her chest and was painfully aware of every minute sound, from her own breathing, to the tapping of Georg's fingers against the bottle and even the distant sound of the kitchen above.

"Maria?"

He had told her it would be all lies. He had told her not listen. Because all that mattered was that he loved her.

"Did you love this woman?" Maria heard herself ask in a hollow voice.

"What? No," he said, clearly surprised by her question.

"Then... why?"

"It was just sex, that's all. It meant nothing."

She looked up at him at that, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "It meant nothing? How can it mean nothing?"

Her heart was aching. The two weeks that had followed the night of the puppet show, she had thought that it wasn't possible for her heart to hurt anymore. But it did, it hurt so much more now. How could he possible say it meant nothing?

"Maria," he said, his eyes locked with hers and he reached out a hand towards hers but she quickly drew it away.

"Don't," she pleaded, "Tell me how it meant nothing. How could you make love to some woman and it mean _nothing_?"

He suddenly didn't look like the calm and confident Captain anymore, she saw the façade completely fall away and he gave a heaving sigh.

"I said, it was just sex," he said, "There is a difference."

"How can there be?" Maria asked, her voice still disbelieving.

While she knew there were people that spent their nights in the company of women who were, according to Sister Berthe, unholy witches of the night. She had always believed that to lie with a man it should be for love, and nothing else. She just could not understand there was another way. Maybe she had spent too much time around children, living in a fantasy world.

Still watching her closely, he asked, "Do you really want me to tell you?"

"Yes!" Maria said, her anger starting to seep through the hurt, "Stop treating me like a child. If I am to be your wife than I deserve to be treated as such."

"Are you sure you still wish to be?" he asked, and Maria heard the edge of fear in his voice.

Looking at him, she could see he was very much afraid she would say no. And while she was tempted to, in pique of childish rage, she knew it would be untrue. Of course she wanted to marry him, she loved him – that's why it hurt so much.

"I do," she said quietly, "But I wish you had been honest with me. To hear those kind of things from some strangers, who delighted very much at the thought of me being unknowing to your … appetites."

"You're making me sound like some crazed sexual fiend," he said.

"Are you?" Maria couldn't help but retort.

"No," he replied.

"But they said you…" Maria trailed off as she broke eye contact and looked down. Taking a deep breath, she tried to rally herself, she was not a child and she could talk about this. "They said you and this woman were not alone one night."

There, she said it. She looked up through her lashes and saw his eyebrow raise.

"Ah yes, she tried to get her friend to steal from me while she had me, ah, distracted," he said, his brow furrowing in irritation. "I never got my money back."

"Oh, poor you," said Maria acidly, as she glared at him. "Why would you see her again then?"

He gave a shrug, "She was fun, mindless fun. She didn't care for rules and I wanted to leave them behind." His demeanour softened again and he went on, "Look, Maria, I didn't tell you these things because I wanted them to stay in the past. I didn't want you to look at me the way you are now. I am not proud of what I did. But I was young and stupid. Then I was grief-stricken and still stupid. And now I'm in love and clearly even more stupid."

"I can understand that, I can - not that I think you are stupid," Maria said, "But you should have told me. You have no idea how awful it was to hear. It made me realise how little we know about each other. And then with Max always hanging around, I thought maybe there should be a reason for him to be."

He gave her another piercing look and said gently, "Maria, we have plenty of time to get to know every detail about one another. I cannot apologise enough for not telling you this though. As for Max, I thought it would help with the rumours and, I won't lie, I didn't want to be left alone with you."

 _"I didn't want to be tempted to sneak into your room…"_

Maria shivered at the thought. All those stolen kisses, and they had been stolen kisses, for he had had no right to take them from her then, had awoken Maria to a whole new world. She tried to focus on him once more as he continued to talk.

"But, like I said, I would not want to do anything you aren't comfortable with. While I may slip in trying to resist temptation, knowing that you love me and are going to be my wife is enough for me now. But, when I was younger, I was arrogant-" He stopped at the expression on her face and added, "-more arrogant, and I was aware of my, uh, effect on the opposite sex. But I met Agathe and I loved her, and none of that mattered anymore. She loved me despite knowing everything horrible about me, her father used to try and use that information to keep her away from me-"

"If she knew about your past, why couldn't you tell me?" Maria interjected.

"Agathe was used to the kind of man I was, she was used to them fawning all over her," Georg said carefully. "You aren't. And you're just so-" He waved a hand, "Pure."

Maria scowled, "You're making me out to be some saint. Just because I was in the abbey doesn't mean I'm some holy angel."

"You were going to be a _nun_ , Maria," he said.

"Yes, and we all know how well I was doing at that!" Maria argued, unable to control her temper.

"Look, Maria," Georg said, "While you weren't a good nun, you are still filled with such goodness, and I just didn't want to ruin that. And I didn't want you to know about the way I behaved after Agathe died. I tried to use sex as a replacement for love and it didn't work because they aren't one and the same thing."

"You told me you didn't have that type of relationship with Baroness Schraeder," Maria said, trying to keep her voice even.

"And I didn't," Georg said wearily. "I got over it by the time I met Elsa and was trying to focus on other activities, trying to keep active – be social. I didn't want to sleep with just anyone anymore; it just made the loss of Agathe worse. Elsa was just a good friend and I tried to make it into something more. Thinking that if I married her, it would be all right."

Maria was silent; trying to absorb everything he had just told her. Which was a lot to think about all at once. But one thing kept catching her attention.

"You said there was a difference between love and, uh…" Maria blushed and looked around distractedly before she returned her gaze to him. "So, what is it?"

He gave her a sharp look and said, "You really want to know?"

She nodded.

Sighing, he locked his fingers together on the top of the wine bottle and said, "When I slept with that woman, and any others, it was purely physical. It was just about relieving the tension. There was no passion involved. It was like scratching an itch; you did it and felt better. At least, that's what I told myself."

His gaze continued to bore into her and Maria tried to avoid the thudding of her heart, she felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

"Making love is different. It's about two people connecting - it's about trust. You want to be as close as physically possible to that person, you want to feel their heartbeat, feel that connection – because for a moment, one gloriously intense moment, you do. Nothing else matters in that moment, it's not just about you. And…"

"And…?" she asked softly.

She saw him give his head a shake, as if he'd been far off somewhere. But she had wanted him to keep talking, his voice had taken on a completely different quality as he spoke and she found she was desperate to hear more.

"And… that's the difference," he finished, though Maria was sure that wasn't what he had been planning to say. "It's impossible to describe."

 _Show me then._

Maria blinked, trying to ignore the thought. But it was too late, all she could think of was the way he held her and kissed her. He managed to make her feel so connected to him with just a kiss, sometimes not even a kiss – just a look. Her mind rushed and her face flushed with the thought of what more would be like.

She hastily dropped her gaze and took a step away from him, trying to create a little distance. For once, she sorely wished Max was in the room.

Georg must have misunderstood her actions as he quickly put the bottle back on the shelf and walked towards her, "Please, Maria, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable and I cannot apologise enough for hurting you. I should have told you about my past and I will answer any questions you may have. But please forgive me."

"I do," Maria said, returning to look at him again, "I know you have a past, I just didn't expect it to come and slap me in the face. I just wish you had told me. You knew something like this would happen."

She watched as his fingers flexed agitatedly by his side and she saw the pain behind his eyes. While she may not know much of his past, she at least knew when he was being sincere in his apology. And it was obvious by the way he held himself and the way he had spoken to her that he was truly sorry for hurting her.

"I know, and I can't apologise enough. I was a coward and wanted to avoid it at all costs. I just didn't want you to think less of me."

Maria gave a small smile. "When I first met you, you criticised my clothing and blew a whistle at me. So trust me when I say that my opinion of you was never that grand to start off with."

"I would have hoped it had improved since then," he remarked, gently taking her hand in his.

"It has," she said, "But please promise me you won't hide things from me. I'm not a-"

"- Child, yes I am very much aware," he cut in, and then he had the audacity to smirk at her and add, "Have I ever mentioned you are very repetitious?"

"Possibly. Have I ever mentioned how I'd very much like to slap your face?" Maria retorted, though there was no real anger behind it.

"No," he said, "But you've certainly _looked_ like you wanted to many times."

She smiled again and looked down at her hand in his, he was tracing his thumb lightly over her skin. It caused a tingle to run up her spine and she looked back up into his face, which was a lot closer to hers than she had thought. Letting out a small gasp of surprise, she stood perfectly still, unable to move while caught in his gaze. She waited with baited breath for him to do something, preferably kiss her, but he didn't, instead he spoke.

"You do realise we are alone and nobody knows we are here?" he said slowly, as if he had just understood this was the case.

"I thought it was against the rules," Maria breathed.

He paused, as if he remembering something, and said, "You said the same thing to me that night in the kitchen."

"What?" Maria asked, perplexed by this sudden change of topic.

"Don't you remember? It was the middle of the night and you were in the kitchen drinking tea because you couldn't sleep. We were talking and then I upset you – I seem to do that a lot."*

"Oh," Maria said, "Yes, I remember. "

They had been eating cake that she had made earlier that day, she could remember it like it happened yesterday. They had been having a wonderful chat before she had gotten overly upset about something he said, funnily enough it had been him telling her she wasn't suited to being a nun.

But, she also remembered that she had gotten some icing on her nose and he had brushed it away. And she could remember replaying the interaction over and over in her head while in bed; the feel of his finger on her nose haunted her for days. She felt her cheeks tinge pink with the memory.

"Blushing, Fraulein?" he asked, his voice teasing once more.

"Oh, that night, ah, you touched me," Maria watched his eyebrows shoot up and she blushed again. "Not like that! You brushed some icing off my nose. I remember the look on your face. I didn't understand it at the time, but I do now. I never put it together until now." She paused and grinned at him. "You wanted to kiss me."

It wasn't a question, she stated it as mere fact. Because at the time, she hadn't understood the strange expression he had had on his face that night. How could she? She had never seen that kind of expression before, especially not on _his_ face. But she had now; she'd seen it multiple times. It was the look he gave her before he kissed her senseless.

"Mmm, I did," he drawled, "You had cake all over your mouth and I was wondering if you tasted as sweet as it did."

 _Oh help,_ Maria prayed as she squeezed her eyes shut but they flew back open when she felt him move even closer to her.

"And I was right," Georg said, and brought his lips a mere breath away from hers.

She could practically feel the heat radiating off him but he didn't move any closer, his eyes just locked with hers. He let go of the hand he had been holding and he pulled her against him.

"I love you so much, Maria," he whispered in a low voice before his lips claimed hers.

It was slow and gentle, and Maria melted into him as her hands braced against his chest. His kisses were unhurried, so different to any of the ones they had shared lately. It was like they had all the time in the world and as his mouth moved over hers; she felt her heart swell and her fingers instantly tightened onto the lapels of jacket.

"And I love you," she said against his lips in a soft murmur.

His hands were gliding over her sides and she felt his tongue sweep gently across her lower lip. Parting her lips, she let his tongue stroke against hers in languid caresses. She wasn't sure how much time passed as they stood there in the softly lit cavern of the cellar. Underneath her hand she could feel the steady rhythm of his heart and felt all her senses flair to life. But just as she went to press herself more firmly against him, he eased the kiss back to just a chaste meeting of lips before he pulled back from her.

"I think dinner will be ready soon," he said, his voice rough.

But Maria found she didn't care, she wasn't hungry – not for food. And her body sighed with longing as he took a step back from her, but he held a hand out which she greatly took as they headed up the stairs of the cellar.

* * *

Seated at the dinner table, Georg watched as Maria helped Gretl cut up her food. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked up and shot him one of those dazzling smiles.

He'd felt utterly terrible about the whole ordeal; he had been a complete idiot, just like he told her. But he'd been so desperate to not have her find out, thinking that having either him or Max with her all the time would protect her. But that had been ridiculous, and it had been a mistake to treat her like she was stupid, like a _child._ While he was very aware of her innocence, he did know that she wasn't an idiot – much unlike himself. But Georg had just been so terrified that she would be repulsed at how much of a scoundrel he had been both before and after Agathe. He didn't want her to think he was the kind of man who just thought about sex and nothing more. Of course, it would be a complete lie to say he didn't think of it at all, quite the opposite.

His nights were spent imagining how she would feel underneath him and they followed him into his days too. And it was hard to ignore them whenever she would make the noise she made when she sighed loudly; it sounded exactly the same as when he when he kissed a soft spot on her neck. Or if she was concentrating, she had a tendency to bite down on her bottom lip and all he wanted to do was run over to her and beg her to let him to do it for her. Maybe it was because it had been so long since he'd been with a woman, maybe it was because she was utterly irresistible, maybe it was because he loved her – or maybe all the above. And it must have been, because while Elsa had been one attractive woman, he hadn't really wanted to bed her, despite considering it a few times because he thought he probably should.

But he wanted Maria, desperately. And when she had asked him to describe what making love was like, it had taken a lot of his self control to try and not get carried away. He'd nearly blurted out how he couldn't wait to show her, to make her understand how much he loved her.

These thoughts continued to follow him throughout the rest of the night and were still with him as he got into bed and lay there, staring into the darkness.

Maria had briefly come to see him before she had gone to take the children to bed and she had asked him to join them for their bedtime story. He had sat with her on Marta's little bed, with Gretl in his lap and Marta lying beside Maria while they read together. It had been a wonderful moment, and not because of the way Maria completely adored his children but the way they adore her. And when they had said goodnight, Marta had sleepily asked if she could call Maria "mother" and the look on Maria's face had been the best thing he had ever seen. The surprise and pure joy in her eyes at the question had been beautiful, and even beautiful had been her response.

" _Of course you can, Marta, but don't forget you will always have two mothers and that you are such a lucky little girl to have two. A mother is such a special and wonderful thing to have. And I feel so special and wonderful because you have chosen me to be yours."_

He smiled in the darkness and, while the past few years he had had no patience for God, he sent Him a quick prayer for sending Maria to his home.

As he was slowly drifting off to sleep though, he heard the sound of his door being opened and sat up quickly. He knew he had locked the door, out of habit, he always did except on the rare occasion that he was either too drunk or too distracted to remember – like the night of the puppet show, which had been a combination of both. He heard the door click shut and he hastily switched on a lamp and grabbed his robe, throwing it on. His eyes adjusted to the low light and he saw Maria standing at the foot of his bed.

"Maria?" he asked, "What are you doing here and how did you get in?"

She walked a little closer to him and she held up a key in her hand; it was the skeleton key he had given her.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, seeing the strange look on her face.

"Yes," she said in a low voice.

"Then why-" he started to say but she cut him off.

"I-I want you to make love to me."

* * *

A/N One day I might not end on a cliffhanger, but today is not that day.

*Scene from _Here Comes the Sun_


	11. Romance: Andante

Chapter Eleven:  
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 25: 2. Romance: Andante  
\- _Erich Wolfgang Korngold_

* * *

Stilling a yawn, Maria shut the door to the nursery and headed for bed, her feet automatically taking her towards the governess room. Shaking her head, she turned around and made her way slowly towards her new room. Utterly exhausted, she pushed the door open and kicked her shoes off. Leaving a trail of her clothing on the ground, she headed into the ornate bathroom. Deciding she deserved it after the emotional rollercoaster of the past few days, she ran herself a bath and waited patiently for the large tub to fill with steaming water. Pouring some rose scented bubbles in, she eased herself in, the hot water seeping into her muscles as she allowed herself to relax.

Today had been both physically and emotionally draining after the large trek around the grounds and the huge talk she had had with Georg. Of course, she was now feeling a lot better about everything but still; there was a small part of her that was still frightened. What if she wasn't able to live up to his expectations? After all, he'd certainly had a lot more experience than her. While she knew that most of the things she'd overheard had been untrue, it was still true he had been a 'rogue' as Max liked to put it. And while Maria was sure she was getting better at the whole kissing thing, there were certainly a lot things she knew nothing about. And a part of her couldn't help but want to fill in those gaps in her education.

A small tremble went through her at the thought and she remembered the way he had described what it was like to make love. And she recalled her immediate thought after; which had been that she had wanted him to show her.

The night of the party, when that horrible Herr Vogel had been talking to her, she had been utterly enraged at his insinuations about her and the Captain. After all, she was the governess and he was her employer, and the suggestion that he would be the sort of man to do that kind of thing behind Baroness Schraeder's back was highly insulting. But she was no longer the governess; there was no Elsa Schraeder and Georg von Trapp was going to be her husband. And suddenly, the idea of being in his room while he touched her in ways she had never experienced before was no longer as outrageous as she had initially thought.

Sitting up straighter in the bath, Maria suddenly realised how cold the water had gotten, the bubbles nearly all gone. Hastily she got out and wrapped herself in one of the overly large towels. Opening a draw, she went to grab her nightgown but paused and looked over to the large boxes that lay by the side of the armoire. Georg had gone and bought her a whole new wardrobe, including new nightclothes and underwear. All the clothes were made of high quality fabrics and some of the dresses had been absolutely exquisite. She knew the maids had unpacked all the boxes containing her clothes but the nightclothes were still packed away. Searching through them, she came across some new nightgowns, all shimmering in multitudes of fabrics and colours. She pulled one out, it was a soft periwinkle blue with an overlay of chiffon, and slipped it on. The hem came to her knees and while it was certainly a lot more revealing than the abbey issue nightgown, it wasn't overly suggestive with it's modest neckline and flouncy sleeves. Doing a small twirl, she giggled to herself as it spun around with her.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror and paused as she looked at the reflection. The negligée certainly fit her well and she had to admit she did look quite nice in it. She wondered what Georg would say if he saw her in it and that thought cause her cheeks to burn and she quickly averted her eyes from the mirror. Maria looked down at the dress while she fiddled with the hem, suddenly lost in thought about Georg and her body burst with anticipation at the thought of him taking it off her.

Looking around the room, she tried to distract herself from her thoughts but her eyes kept landing back on the small table beside her bed. Walking towards it in a sort of daze, she opened the drawer and grabbed the key lying inside. She stared at it a moment as her thoughts ran wild.

Could she really do what she was considering doing? She shivered again. He was obviously holding himself back from her, she knew that was true. But could she really do it? She wanted to know; after all, the way he made her feel was unlike anything before. The way he had spoken about the act of making love had made her desperate to hear more, desperate for him to show her. And everyone assumed that they had anyway so it wouldn't really matter, would it?

She sat down on the edge of her bed as these thoughts continued to race through her head until she stood back up, her mind made up. As if in a dream, she left her room, not even bothering to don a robe, and headed towards the master suite before she lost her nerve. Pausing at the large door, she swallowed hard before inserting the key and quickly opened the door. Her heart ready to jump out her throat, she slipped into the dark room and shut the door behind her with a click.

There was the flare of a low lamp being turned on and she saw Georg getting out of bed, only clad in pyjama bottoms as he hurriedly threw on a dressing robe.

"Maria?" he asked, "What are you doing here and how did you get in?"

Her breath caught and she felt her heart hammering against her chest. What had seemed like a good idea in the safety of her room suddenly seemed much more daunting now that she was here. Georg also seemed a lot larger than she recalled and she was overcome by the scent of the room, it all reminding her of the torturous night of the puppet show and how overwhelmed she had been.

Unable to speak, she simply held up the skeleton key by way of explanation. Her feet, with a mind of their own, moved her closer towards him until she was standing at the foot of his bed.

"Is everything all right?" Georg asked, his voice slightly rough.

"Yes," she managed to say.

"Then why-"

Before she could lose her nerve, she cut in, "I-I want you to make love to me."

* * *

Georg just stared at her. "What?"

She swallowed loudly and lifted her chin defiantly as she said in a stronger voice, "I want you to make love to me."

He could see she was shaking slightly and looking down he saw her hands were holding tightly to the sides of her nightdress while her toes dug into the carpet. And he could see she was wearing one of the new items he'd purchased for her, the material clinging to her curves. If it weren't for her body language and the hint of fear in her wide eyes, he would have gladly taken her up on her request. After all, he'd spent many nights dreaming of her uttering those words to him, but she had never sounded the way she did now – which was the complete opposite of his dreams. She sounded like she was trying to be very brave about a situation that terrified her.

Without saying a word, and not taking his eyes off her, he slowly took his robe off and placed it around her shoulders. She didn't move as he reached for her and took the key out of her hand. Throwing the key on the bed, he gently wrapped his arms around her.

"Um, what are you doing?" she whispered and Georg could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"Nothing," he said.

"Aren't you going to make love to me?" she asked quietly.

"Nope," he replied softly.

He heard her breath catch and she said in a sad voice, "Don't you want me?"

"I do," he said, "Of course I do. But only when you are ready – which you aren't."

There was only the sound of her breathing for a moment before she spoke.

"But I just asked you."

"Mmm," he hummed into her hair. "And you sounded about as pleased with the idea as I do about having my teeth pulled out. You looked terrified, Maria. I don't know what possessed you to come in here and ask me such a thing, but I am not going to take your virginity because you are trying to act like some martyr."

She pulled back from his embrace and said, "I wasn't trying to be martyr! I just- I thought, well – everyone thinks we are so why should it matter? And the way you make you feel, and also what you said about making love…" She paused and gave a small sigh. "Well, I wanted to know."

Moving his hand towards her face, he gently stroked his thumb down her cheek as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I know, but it's not something we should be doing just because people think we already are. I also don't want you to regret it. I don't care how long it takes you to feel comfortable – truly comfortable. Even if you are ready next week or next year – I don't care how long."

"Okay," she whispered and she moved back within his arms, her head in the space between his neck and shoulder. "I'm just scared."

"Why are you scared?" he asked, his lips moving against her ear as he held her.

She was silent for a moment and he felt her hands against his bare chest. Her fingers moved ever so lightly through the hair there until she took in a deep breath.

"I'm scared that I will be bad, I'm scared it will hurt," she said quietly, "I'm scared because I want you so much but then I know I'm not really ready. And it's just confusing."

Georg took a deep breath. "I won't lie, it will hurt a little, but it will get better. We will take things slow, whatever you feel comfortable with, all right?" He felt her nod her head. "And you won't be bad. If anyone should be worried it should be me."

"You? What do you have to be worried about?" she asked.

"What if I disappoint you?" he said softly, "What if I don't live up to your expectations? Its quite daunting being someone's first." He gave her another kiss on the forehead. "But we will learn together, it will be our first time and you can't compare that to anything."

She was silent once more, minutes passed before she spoke.

"Can I stay here?" she asked. "I don't want to be alone and I just-I just want to be with you." He felt her small hand press against his chest. "I just want you to hold me."

Georg hesitated, but only briefly. He didn't want to send her back to her room feeling like he had completely rejected her. He just couldn't do it to her. So he gently stepped back from her and then walked back over to the bed, gesturing for her to hop in on the other side. Grabbing the key off the bed, he placed it on the bedside table, and once she had taken off his robe and gotten in the bed, he switched the lamp off.

There was only a small amount of moonlight that managed to sneak through the curtains, and he could just make out her outline in the darkness. But he could hear her breathing and practically feel the tension that was still radiating off her. She jumped slightly when he reached for her and pulled her into him so that her back was to his chest as he wrapped an arm around her middle. Slowly he felt her relax, her breathing began to even out and he felt her place her own hand over his.

"This is nice," he heard her say in barely more than a whisper. "I don't want to go back to my room."

Georg kissed the top of her head. "Mmhmm, and one day you won't have to. But tonight you can stay here for a little while and then you must go back to your room."

He felt her nod her head and heard her let out a deep breath. Letting the scent of her envelope him, Georg closed his eyes and drifted off into the arms of sleep.

* * *

Sometime later, Maria awoke and in her hazy state, she was momentarily confused. Remembering where she was, and how she come to get there, she immediately had to stifle the urge to moan at how stupid she had been. And she was so grateful that Georg had said no, she knew she wasn't truly ready to go that far. She had been stupid to think he would expect it of her, she knew he loved her and didn't expect anything she was unable to give. She was suddenly aware of something pressing into her bottom and it was apparent that his body didn't care whether she was ready or not.

Curious, she pressed back against him and was surprised when she felt it harden against her and he reflexively pressed his hips back towards her as the arm around her middle gripped her tighter. She wiggled again and her body delighted in the sound that came from his throat as he pushed back against her once more. While she was certainly not ready for him to make love to her, she couldn't deny the terrible longing she felt for him to touch her the way he had in the ballroom. A small shiver ran down her spine and she squirmed against him again.

"Maria," came Georg's voice, the sound of it low and very much inviting.

"Yes?" she asked quietly.

"Stop doing that," he said.

"I'm just learning, like you said," Maria said, in her best offhand voice.

"O-ho," he muttered, "I think you learn pretty fast, Fraulein. Stop teasing me, it's cruel."

Glad that he couldn't see her face as she smiled, Maria said, "I'm not teasing."

"Of course not," Georg said and she felt him shift the arm he had wrapped around her.

Instantly Maria felt her breath quicken as his hand skimmed up her bare thigh and under the nightgown she wore. It continued until his fingers were gently caressing the side of her breast and she was sure she could feel him grinning.

"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly, her body suddenly on fire.

"Oh, just learning," he mocked.

She felt the hand on her breast gently tracing lazy patterns across her skin and Maria did her best not to wriggle. His hands continued their idle caress until she could take it no more and she turned to face him. Reaching for him in the darkness, she pulled herself against him and pressed her lips against his. Maria felt his hand leave her body to cup her face as he deepened the kiss. She'd never felt so intimately connected to someone as she did in that moment. Being in his bed – the bed that was to be theirs, with the soft sheets over them and their legs entwined, Maria felt like the rest of the outside world didn't exist.

She felt him pull back from her and lie on his back, pulling her into his side.

"You will have to go back to your room, you can't stay here the whole night," he said gently as a hand stroked her face.

"I know," Maria said sadly.

"My sister should arrive today, I'm sure you'll get along well," Georg said. "I've also asked Max to invite his cousin, Henrietta. I think the more people we have around us the better."

Maria sighed. "I guess so."

"Come now, Fraulein," he said teasingly, "We can suffer together – it'll be fun."

"Will we get any time alone?" Maria asked.

She felt him tap her on the nose. "Eager to learn some more?"

Maria blushed in the darkness and said, "No-o. I mean what if I just want to have a conversation that doesn't revolve around the household or how many kittens Marta wants to own by the time she is twenty? I miss just being able to talk to you-"

"- Or yell at me?" he interjected.

Maria gave a small laugh. "Yes - _or_ yell at you, without it being overheard by the whole house."

"I think when you yell at me the whole country hears," Georg said.

"You know what I mean, stop making fun!" Maria said, "I just think it would make things a little easier to deal with if I was able to spend some time with you – and _just_ you. Like I said, we don't know very much about each other."

With her head on his chest, Maria could feel the steady rhythm of his heart as well as the rumble in his chest as he spoke. The sounds, combined with the reassuring weight of him underneath her head, was lulling her into sleep once more and she did her best to keep her eyes open.

"I know, I apologise," he said, "I'll talk to Max when Hede arrives and I am sure we can figure something out." He gave her arm a pat and added, "Now, time to get up and get back to your tower."

Maria opened her eyes and tried to focus on him in the darkness. "My tower?"

"Yes? Isn't that where all the lovely princesses live? In towers?" he said. "That's what Brigitta tells me at least, and I'm inclined to believe her - she's very knowledgeable about fairy tales."

Maria wrinkled her nose as she tried to suppress a smirk. "So, what are you? A handsome prince?"

"Oh, no," he said seriously, "I'm common as muck, me. Just a lowly, _handsome_ , sea captain."

Maria sat up and laughed. "Well, in that case, I hope my tower is a lighthouse."

She felt him sit up next to her and then there was a click and the lamp flickered into life. Georg was smiling at her and he pressed a lingering kiss against her lips.

"I know it is," he said as he stood up and grabbed his robe. "Now, put this on and go back to your tower, my darling."

Maria slipped off the bed and let him put the robe back around her shoulders. Grasping the edge, she drew it tightly around her and then stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, my Captain," she said.

* * *

The next day dawned, the sun shining through the large windows as Maria dressed for the day. Opening up the armoire, she closed her eyes, waved her hand wildly and randomly picked something to wear. Opening her eyes, she saw she'd somehow managed to pick her old grey dress that not even the poor had wanted. Throwing it into a corner with a huff, she decided to let her eyes choose this time. Finally settling on a white, short-sleeved blouse and a full, light pink skirt, she smiled approvingly at her reflection before she slipped on her shoes. As she went to leave her room, she spied a note had been pushed under her door. Picking it up, Maria saw it was from Frau Schmidt, requesting to see her this morning. Pocketing it, she headed downstairs in search of the housekeeper.

"Good Morning, Fraulein Maria!" called the cook as she entered the kitchen.

"Good Morning, Frau Bremer," Maria replied happily, grabbing an apple off the table. "I was looking for Frau Schmidt, have you seen her? I had a note saying she wished to see me."

But the next second, Frau Schmidt walked in, looking flustered.

"Oh, there you are, dear!" said the housekeeper. "I need to talk to you about the dinner schedule, and there's two new maids that need to be trained – Oh! And you need to start sending out wedding invitations – the Captain gave me a list. Also-"

The housekeeper kept going in a hurried rush, but Maria had frozen to the spot, her good spirits immediately vanishing in the face of Frau Schmidt's anxious rambling.

"- And you will need to give the staff your orders for next week," Frau Schmidt finished.

Maria blinked. "What orders?"*

Frau Schmidt paused and said, "Well, whatever you want the household to do. I've given them instructions for the rest of this week. You will need to set the new orders for the kitchen, the housemaids, the gardener, the chauffeur and the laundry staff."

There's a chauffeur? Maria wondered why Franz had been driving people around when there's a chauffeur, and so Maria asked the housekeeper why she hadn't seen them before.

"Oh, Hans – he'll be back tomorrow. He's been gone for three months to look after his sick grandmother in Venice. Hence, Franz has been taking over his duties." Frau Schmidt sniffed and muttered, "So, at least we won't have to deal with him complaining about _that_ anymore." Then she clapped her hands and gave Maria a manic smile. "If you can let me know by Saturday that would be wonderful, dear!"

Maria opened her mouth to reply but the housekeeper just bustled out of the kitchen. She had no idea what kind of orders to give a household and she supposed saying something "Do as you please" was probably the wrong thing entirely. Remembering the book Georg had given her, she said goodbye to the cook and headed back up to her room. She knew she had about an hour or so before the children would need to be woken up and so she sat cross-legged on her bed as she riffled through the pages. But nowhere could she find any reference as to what kind of orders to give to a household. With a frustrated groan, she tossed the book on her bed and flopped back on her bed. Staring at the intricate pattern on the ceiling she wondered why everything had to be so complicated. It's like the rich had everything else so easy that had to make even the smallest thing slightly complicated. It was highly irritating.

Turning her head, she glanced over to a plush armchair that sat in one corner. She had thrown Georg's dressing robe on it when she had returned to her room last night and she stared at it thoughtfully. Seeing it in daylight, she noticed that the ends were slightly frayed and there was at least one hole that she could see from here. Why would he have such an old robe? Everything else she had seen him wear was always in perfection condition. Curious, she walked over to it and picked it up. Impulsively, she brought it up to her face and inhaled the scent. There was the smell of what must be his cologne that mixed with the pure masculine aroma of him, but there was also a flowery overtone that Maria recognised as her bubble bath soap. It was strange, but oddly comforting, to smell both her own and Georg's scents mixed together.

Gently folding the garment, she placed it back carefully on the chair and wandered back out into the corridor, heading towards the nursery to wake the children. Her thoughts were still wrapped up in the scent of the robe, her mind still replaying the feel of sleeping in his arms, and then replaying the feel of his arousal pressed against her and the delicious tingle of his hand on her breast. Giving herself a little shake, she pushed open the door to the nursery and began waking the children.

* * *

Glancing at the clock in his study, Georg clicked his tongue and gave a sigh. Hede had said she would be arriving before lunch, but lunch had come and gone already. Though, why this surprised him was a mystery, she was about as good as Maria when it came to being on time.

This morning, he'd ducked into the schoolroom to see the children and Maria while they had their morning lessons. And he'd had to make sure to do his very best not to stare openly at his fiancée as she walked around the room. She was wearing some more new clothes, and while they were completely different to the simple dresses she had worn as a governess, that suited her just as well. He'd made sure to ask for soft colours, nothing like the bold tones Elsa preferred. And he'd tried to his best to describe to the couturier the fabric of the blue dress he loved so much, wanting more clothing in similar fabrics.

He had been completely transfixed for a moment as he watched the soft pink skirt she had on twirl high around her legs as she did a quick turn when Kurt had called for her from the other side of the room. The skirt had briefly lifted high enough to see a quick flash of the top of her stocking and thigh, and he had immediately excused himself.

"Papa?"

Inhaling sharply through his nose, he turned to see his youngest daughter standing at his desk. "Yes, Gretl?"

"When is Aunt Hede getting here? I painted her a picture," said Gretl, extending a colourful swirl towards him.

Georg gave her a smile. "She should be here soon, you keep a hold of it until she gets here, okay?" Gretl nodded. "She will love it."

"There you are, Gretl!"

He looked up into the doorway to see Maria stroll in, a smile on her face.

"I wanted to show Papa my painting for Aunt Hede," said Gretl, turning to face Maria.

"Well you need to go put it on the terrace to make sure it's all dry, okay?" said Maria gently.

Gretl gave an earnest nod and hurried out, leaving the two of them behind. Georg went to stand up but then, thinking it was probably best to keep his distance right now, remained seated.

"So, when is your sister arriving?" Maria asked, standing in front of his desk, and he saw her trying not to twist her hands together.

Georg shrugged. "She said lunch time, but she's as good as you when it comes to time keeping."

He saw her give a small smile and then bite down on her lip.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Huh?" she said, somewhat distractedly. "Oh, no. Oh! Frau Schmidt said I needed to give out orders for the staff for next week? I looked in that book you gave me and it wasn't very helpful. I have no idea what to do." She peered at him expectantly.

"Oh, I usually just tell her to do what she normally does," said Georg. "Just let them do their own thing."

"Oh," Maria said, "She made it sound like it required more thought than that."

Georg smiled. "Frau Schmidt has always taken her job very seriously, she gets a little rattled sometimes but I find a stern voice is good. Don't let her trample you, she means well – a little too well."

"All right," Maria said and he saw her relax a little more. "But she said something about wedding invitations and then a bunch of other stuff." She gave a sheepish smile, "I may have tuned out a little but it sounds like quite a lot."

"Don't worry, Hede can help you," Georg replied, giving her an encouraging smile.

Maria nodded and then he saw her continue to stand there, bouncing on her feet slightly. He raised an eyebrow in question at her, "Something else I can help you with, darling?"

He watched with secret delight as her face flushed the same colour as her skirt.

"Um," she said, "You said you would talk to Max about us being able to spend time together." She gave him another smile. "You know – alone?"

"Ah, yes, I said I would when my sister gets here. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."

There was the sound of Gretl calling Maria and so she flashed him another charming smile and left him in his study. Rubbing his temples, he sank back into the leather of his chair. He wanted to do something special for Maria, after all, they hadn't had a proper courtship – well, they hadn't had one at all. With that thought, he hastily began scribbling down ideas as he anxiously waited for his sister to arrive.

* * *

Maria was sitting at the table in the large library, trying her best to get through multitudes of wedding invitations Frau Schmidt had given to her, when she heard the front door open and the excited shrieks of the children. Pushing the gilded papers away, she peaked out into the foyer to see a tall woman, her dark hair piled messily on head, surrounded by the children.

"Yes, yes, hello, children!" said the woman, who Maria assumed must be Georg's sister.

Where Georg was always dressed impeccably, his suits surely capable of cutting through steel due to being so sharp, his sister was the opposite. Firstly, she was wearing wide legged pants and was covered in many bright shawls. Secondly, her arms were encased in bangles that seemed to be permanently jingling happily. Thirdly, Maria could see a paintbrush sticking out of her hair.

When she had first met Georg von Trapp, she had remarked that he didn't look at all like a sea captain; however, his sister certainly looked exactly like an artist. But, she didn't look like a von Trapp; she was too wild looking.

Maria suddenly realised she had been openly staring when the woman turned to look at her.

"You must be Maria!" she said happily, gesturing a jingling arm towards her. "Well, come here and let me look at you."

Feeling embarrassed, Maria hastily walked over, offering the woman a smile as she neared.

"Hello," she said politely, offering her hand.

But the woman just threw her arms around Maria and gave her a hug, the smell of turpentine assaulting Maria's senses. She pulled back and grasped both Maria's shoulders, looking at her critically.

"Goodness, you really are young!" she said incredulously. "What on earth do you see in my brother? You must be mad!"

"Hede, leave her alone," came the sound of Georg's voice as he entered the foyer.

Hede turned to face Georg; her arms still pinning Maria in place. "Oh hush, Georg, I'm just getting to know her." She turned back to Maria and said, "Come with me and tell me all about yourself." She gave the children a quick smile. "Children, I'm just going to chat to your Fraulein for a bit and we can catch up later, okay? Go find Uncle Max and give him a kick for me!"

"Hede!" warned Georg as the children all went happily searching for Max.

Maria stifled a giggle as she cast a quick glance at Georg before she was dragged outside onto the terrace by Hede. Once they were seated at the table, a maid brought out some tea and cakes. Once the maid had left, Hede fixed Maria with another intense stare, her eyes so similar to the Captain's.

"So, tell me about yourself," Hede said, as she lounged back in her chair.

Maria hesitated, unsure what she was supposed to say. _I was an orphan, I studied to be a teacher, then I decided to become a nun, then I got sent here and fell in love with your brother. The end._ Probably not, she told herself.

"Well, there isn't much to say," Maria said, "I would much rather hear about you, the Captain said you were an artist?"

"You call him Captain?" Hede said, her brow furrowing.

"Oh, um, just habit," Maria said with a shrug.

Hede's brow furrowed further. "Why?"

Maria paused, "Because I was the children's governess?"

"What?" Hede said, sitting up in her chair.

Maria was confused by her response and she said quickly, "Didn't he tell you that?"

"No! He just said he'd fallen in love and was getting married. All he said was that you were young and I should come as soon as I could as you might feel a little overwhelmed with everything." Hede paused. "You know I did hear something on the train about someone marrying their governess because she was pregnant." Her eyes drifted down to Maria's stomach and she muttered, "I'm going to kill him."

 _Not this again,_ Maria thought angrily. "I'm not pregnant," Maria said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Are you sure?" Hede asked, and then her voice softened, "Look, it doesn't bother me. But you can tell me if you are. I will still kill him though."

"I'm _very_ sure!" Maria said fiercely. She took a calming breath. "Sorry, I'm just tired of people thinking I'm pregnant."

"It's all right," Hede said, "I don't blame you. It's why I keep away from it all, I don't know how Georg stands it. Mother used to think he would be the disappointment, but instead it was me." She gave a sad laugh. "Ah well."

Maria shifted uncomfortably in her seat, unsure what to say. Hede gave her another appraising look.

"So, Governess Maria, what else has my brother neglected to tell me?"

* * *

A/N It's always interesting hearing from you all as to what you wanted to happen for this chapter! I love getting everyone's opinions on things – no matter how different it may be to my own. But yes, I was never planning for them to have sex at this point – I just like being a tease ;) I hope you enjoyed it anyway, even those that didn't get their wish with this one.

*This is based on a conversation the real Maria has in her book with the household staff.


	12. Piano Sonata No 11

Chapter Twelve  
Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331  
\- _Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart_

* * *

"Are you joking?" Hede asked, staring at Maria with her mouth agape.

Maria sighed. "No."

"Huh," Hede said, slightly bewildered. "You don't look like a nun." She gave Maria another intense once-over. "You definitely don't look like a nun."

"Well, I wasn't a nun, I was a postulant," Maria explained patiently. "I hadn't taken my vows yet. I was sent here by the Reverend Mother to look after your nieces and nephews." Maria smiled wistfully. "Governess number twelve."

"I told Georg all he needed to do was spend some time with them but he never listened," Hede said, still staring at Maria. "How'd you do it?"

"Er," Maria hesitated, pushing her fringe off of her face. "I just kind of yelled at him."

Hede laughed, the wrinkles around her eyes becoming more pronounced. " _You_ yelled at _my_ brother? Oh, I would have loved to see that. The only person I ever saw yell at him was our father." Hede leaned in closer and said, "You must tell me all about it!"

Drawing a deep breath, Maria launched into the whole story. Him barking orders at her and trying to give her a whistle – Hede had rolled her eyes at that and mentioned something about her own signal. Maria told her about the children coming into her room that first night, and the lessons and games while their father had been away. Those weeks when it had been just her and the children felt like a lifetime ago, had it really only been two months? She could remember how happy she had felt in those earlier weeks too, and the growing guilt that had slowly taken over.

That was then though, she told herself as she continued to recount her days at the von Trapp villa. It was behind her, and that is where it ought to stay. Pushing aside the old guilt, she continued to tell Hede about her and the children's impromptu dip in the lake when their father had returned. Maria was in the middle of explaining how she would see him each weeknight, and sometimes even on a weekend, and talk of everything and anything when Hede interrupted her.

"I'm sorry, but I don't get how you went from governess to baroness-to-be?" Hede asked, her brow creased.

Maria paused. She hadn't really thought it through, what was she supposed to tell her? _Oh, I went into your brother's room one night because Marta was missing and he ravished me until I managed to come to my senses_. _Then we awkwardly ignored each other for two weeks until he ravished me again in the ballroom._ Maria must have been silent for too long because she heard Hede speak again.

"Was that the wrong question to ask?"

Hede was looking at her with such a delicate amount of concern that Maria was momentarily stunned, she suddenly had the strangest compulsion to just tell this woman everything that had happened. But she held her tongue, it would do no good. And she knew rumour was a creature of it's own, these things didn't need to be heard to be spread. Maria felt surely if she voiced what happened, what had _truly_ happened, then it would not take long for those words to find themselves out in the streets of Salzburg, being whispered in excited hush tones in the bathrooms of many small cafés.

Maria snapped out of her musings. "Oh, no. It's just hard to explain."

"Try me," said Hede.

"We-ll," Maria said carefully. "I think it was just a lot of little things that lead me to realise that I loved him." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "And then there was a party here recently and, well, he told me that he l-loved me and that he'd broken things off with Baroness Schraeder. Then he asked me to marry him."

It was the best explanation Maria could think of, it was the truth; it just wasn't the whole truth. Thinking of that night brought both a sense of joy and of pain, it was so hard to forget how utterly lost she had felt when she had woken in the nursery after her unsettling dream.

"Well, I am glad he isn't marrying Elsa, I could not stand that woman. I ran into her a lot when I was in Vienna - she even tried to buy one of my paintings but I refused to sell her one."

"Why?" Maria asked, and she couldn't help the small delight she felt in Hede's obvious dislike of the Baroness.

Which was unfair, the Baroness hadn't done anything to her but it was hard to forget those fleeting feelings of jealousy when she had seen them together. Especially the day, and night, of the party when she had been feeling so utterly helpless about the whole horrible situation.

Hede waved a hand. "I spend a lot of time and energy on my paintings, they are a part of me and I put a lot of effort into them. I don't just let anyone buy them; it's actually how I became successful. I knew she wanted to buy one so she could tell Georg she had one of my paintings, it's the sort of thing she does. So I refused." She fixed Maria with a knowing look. "Tell me, did you like her?"

"I didn't know her very well, I barely said more than ten words to her, so I can't really say I did or didn't like her," Maria said politely. "She seemed a pleasant lady, she did try to get to the know the children but I think parties are more her thing than playing hide-n-seek."

"What a diplomatic response," said Hede with a happy grin. "We shall make a high society lady out of you after all!"

Maria continued to chat away with Hede, listening as the older woman told her stories of her life. The stories she told painted grand and exciting images in Maria's mind as she spoke of her life in Paris, and also along the coastline of France. The bustling city, the bohemian carefree way of life, the food, the fashion – everything! Maria sat forward in her chair, drinking in every detail Hede mentioned.

Oh, how she wanted to see it for herself! Maria had never been outside of Austria before, she hadn't even seen a beach before, let alone the splendid one in Nice that Hede spoke of. She wanted to walk down a street glittering with lights and music, with nobody knowing who or what she was. It sounded so wonderful.

* * *

"So, Georg, have you told Mother yet?"

Georg slowly put his pen down and looked up into the smirking face of his sister.

"No, I haven't," he said calmly.

Hede gave a dramatic sigh and flopped down in the chair in front of him. Then she tossed him a grin.

"Well, as much as I love seeing Mother disappointed in you, I think it might be best if you neglect to tell her some of the finer details," Hede said and gave him a pointed look. "Just like you did with me."

"I was going to tell you when you got here," Georg said irritably. "And I told you the important part."

"Hmm, yes," said Hede, nodding her head emphatically. "You just left out the bit where she was a postulant sent from that strict abbey to look after your children." Hede gave him a scrutinising look. "I mean, the last thing I heard was that you were seeing that pretentious Baroness Schraeder and then next thing you're marrying someone else I'd _never_ even heard of before."

Georg scowled. "Elsa is not pretentious." Hede gave a snort and rolled her eyes. "And I wanted you to actually meet Maria before you made any snap judgements based on her… background."

"Uh-huh," she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "While I am happy you aren't marrying Baroness Bleach, I am still surprised that you are suddenly getting married to someone you've known…." She paused and raised an eyebrow at him. "How long exactly have you known Maria?"

"Two months," Georg said, in his best matter-of-fact tone.

Hede stared at him. "Two months? No wonder people think she's pregnant. I even heard someone mention on the train that some Baron had gotten the governess in his care pregnant. I never would have believed the rumour was about my own brother."

"Maria isn't pregnant," Georg said.

"Oh, well, no," Hede said, waving a hand dismissively, causing her bracelets to clink happily. "She blushes anytime you say anything remotely suggestive, it's quite entertaining. I might make it into a game; I wonder how long it would take me to get thoroughly sloshed – five minutes? That reminds me, how's the wine cellar these days?"

"Between you and Max, it's going to be empty quite soon," Georg said with a sigh. "Now I remember why we only see each other at Christmas." He gave her appearance a scrutinising look. "By the way, do you have to be such a cliché? I mean, _why_ do you have a paintbrush in your hair, and do you _have_ to dress like that?"

"It's a look, Georgy," Hede said, using the horrible nickname she had given him as a small boy. "It's what people expect, especially in Paris – which is where I spend most of my time these days. Plus, you never know when you might need a paintbrush." She gave a shrug, causing the bracelets to jingle even more. "And the trousers are comfortable."

"You look ridiculous," Georg said. "No wonder you annoy Mother, you sound like a cat with all those bangles on your arm."

"Well, there's only two of us so someone has to do it," Hede said. "I may not be able to stress her out as much as you used to, but I do try my best."

Georg rolled his eyes. He loved his sister, he did, but she was so loud and had no manners to speak of. She was a very no-nonsense type woman, quite like their mother – but both still completely different in their own ways. Their father had passed away some years ago, and all their mother had had was the two of them. Agathe had been a wonderful comfort to his mother in those early days, not that his mother would admit such a thing. And he had tried his best as well, letting the children visit her often. But then Agathe had been taken and he hadn't cared for anything else other than that his beloved was gone. Christmas had become the only time he saw his mother and sister, and he'd never really bothered much with the festivities. It had been more of a way to get rid of the children. And he felt a surge of guilt at that. But he knew this year would be different.

"Hmm, yes," Georg said, leaving his guilty thoughts behind.

Hede gave him a smile. "Look, Georg. She seems like a lovely girl, honestly. And I am happy for you. You deserve to be happy."

Georg looked at his sister and was slightly surprised at the genuine care in her voice. Hede wasn't one for being serious, or for being sentimental. Well, no one in his family was really sentimental. It's why he had been so drawn to Agathe, she being so different from his own family.

"Thank you, Hede," he said, inclining his head slightly. "I was hoping you'd be able help Maria with the wedding plans, as well as household duties. She obviously doesn't know much about running a household so I thought you could help her."

"Sure," said Hede. "I'm sure I can remember most things Mother told me - well tried to beat into me. Don't know how much help I will be with wedding plans but I'll do my best."

There was a ruckus outside the study and Kurt came running in.

"Aunt Hede, can you come play with us now?" he asked breathlessly.

Hede turned to face Kurt and ruffled his hair. "Of course! Lead the way!"

Georg watched as she raced off after his youngest son, the sound of her bracelets tinkling down the hall, leaving him with his thoughts and old memories. He would speak to both Hede and Max soon; he couldn't have things continue the way they were. Georg knew that he needed his fiancée to be comfortable around him, and she wasn't going to be if they were constantly surrounded by talkative chaperones all the time. What happened last night could not happen again though, and although Georg prided himself on his discipline and self-control, he was not sure he would be able to keep it up for the next eight weeks. It had been easier to say no to Maria last night, seeing how uncomfortable she was, but he knew that if she had not run away from him on the stormy night of the puppet show he would have without a doubt made her his that night.

They had come far too close to crossing the point of no return, both that night and the night of the party, and he wasn't sure how many times he could stand on the knife's edge and walk away. All it took was a smile or a laugh, and sometimes not even that. Sometimes it was just a look. And the way she looked at him undid him; she never held her feelings back. And even when she did, she did it so poorly. But he should know better. After all, he had done this all before. He shouldn't be feeling like a seventeen year old with no grasp on how to control his basic instincts. But in the face of his fiancée tantalising mix of innocence and allure, he was finding it very challenging.

This afternoon he would give Hede the skeleton key, unable to trust himself with it. And he certainly could not bear the thought of giving it back to Maria, too scared of himself if she repeated what she did last night. So, he had wrapped it carefully and would instruct his sister to pack into his wife-to-be's trousseau.

Of course, while Georg thought all this through and knew he would plan to keep his interactions with Maria as chaste as he possibly could, he had a tendency to forget whom he was dealing with. And also, his inability to avoid the temptation of teasing his blushing fiancée at every chance he took. But, at least he was trying.

* * *

Sitting at the dining table, Maria smiled to herself as she listened to Hede chatting away with the children. She'd spent a fair amount of time today getting to know Georg's sister and it had been such a huge relief to feel like she had someone to talk to. And by someone, she meant another woman. Maria didn't have any siblings, the Sisters at the abbey being the closest thing to a family she had known before coming the von Trapp villa. But after only a few hours with Hede, she was very glad that she was getting a sister. It hadn't even occurred to her, not really. And then this had made her realise, would she get a mother and father too? She didn't know anything about Georg's family, except for his own children.

As dinner came to an end, Maria was stuck lost in her thoughts. She was barely paying any attention until Georg sidled up next to her as they all headed into the parlour.

"You look lost, my darling," he said.

"Oh, I'm fine," Maria said, turning to give him a smile. "I was just thinking."

She knew now was not the time and place for a discussion about Georg's family tree. And it wasn't anything to fret over right now; especially with everything she had to plan. Hopefully, they could get some alone time for her to ask all these questions.

On that thought, they entered the parlour and Maria sat down next to Georg on one of the settees while Hede and Max sat across from them. She watched as the children all sprawled out on the floor. Though Maria did notice the slight look of irritation on Liesl's face before she sat down gracefully on the floor right by Maria, Gretl crawling into her sister's lap. She would also need to have a word to Georg, _again_ , about Liesl.

"Can you sing us a song, Papa?" Gretl asked, turning her face up to her father.

"How about you all sing?" Maria suggested, "I'm sure your Aunt Hede would love to hear you all."

"Oh, please do," Hede said, giving them all a charming smile while Max whispered something in her ear. Maria saw her roll her eyes and give him a poke.

Louisa hurried off to go grab Maria's guitar, which had been left in the ballroom a few days ago, while the rest of the children argued over what to sing. Once Louisa returned, it was decided that they would sing ' _The Sound of Music'._

The children all stood up and Maria balanced the guitar in her lap. She felt Georg extend an arm around the back of the chair, his hand briefly ghosting past her neck, and she felt herself blush. Which was ridiculous. But it was such a possessive gesture that despite it's casualness, she couldn't help herself. She idly wondered if he would ever _not_ make her face turn red.

Strumming gently on the strings, Maria gestured for Liesl to begin and let the sound of the children singing wash over her. But they stopped suddenly when Gretl spoke.

"Father," she said sternly, her little face turning into a scowl. "You are supposed to sing too."

Raising his free hand, Georg sent his youngest a smile. "My apologies, Gretl." He turned to face Maria and said, "Do continue."

Beginning again, Maria tried to control the smile on her face as she played the soft notes and heard the sound of Georg's voice singing with the children. She found that her eyes refused to stay on the children and kept returning to him. Gretl had walked over to them and climbed into his lap and Maria was unable to help the ridiculous smile she could feel spreading across her face.

As the song was coming to a close, Georg shifted Gretl in his lap and turned his attention towards her. Maria suddenly felt like she'd been transported back in time to a few weeks ago, except this time, it was so much better.

Her hands were on automatic as they continued to coax the last few notes from the guitar while she was lost in his eyes, and the emotion behind them was almost too keen to bear. But she couldn't look away, and she wouldn't have let anyone take her away even if they promised her the world. Because there was no world worth living in if it didn't include her Captain.

Staring at one another, she was startled as the rest of the room seemed to come back to life as the children all started to talking happily amongst themselves once the last note faded away. She placed the guitar by the side of the settee and gave him a smile.

"Thank you!" said Gretl, giving her father a hug.

The little girl then turned around and threw herself into Maria's lap, giving her a kiss before she jumped off and hurried over to her siblings. Still slightly caught off guard by the look Georg had been giving her while he sang, Maria let out a shaky breath as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Well, that was amazing," Maria heard Hede say. "I haven't heard you sing in so long, Georgy."

"See!" she heard Max interject happily.

Maria wrinkled her nose as she tried to suppress a smile.

"Georgy?" she repeated, letting her gaze fall back onto her fiancé.

He sighed. "Yes. She couldn't pronounce my name properly when we were little and it stuck." He gave Maria a stern look. "Don't even _think_ about it."

Maria bit down on her lip, still trying not to smile. "Think about what, _Georgy_?" And she couldn't help but burst into laughter at the scowl, very reminiscent of Gretl, that crossed his face.

"What's so funny?" asked Liesl as she walked over to them.

"Your Fraulein is making fun of me," said Georg, turning to face Liesl. "Would you mind taking your siblings upstairs and putting the younger ones to bed, Liesl?"

Liesl nodded and ushered her siblings out the room, their goodbye's floating through the door.

Nestling back into the seat, Maria let herself relax as the four of them spent the night chatting away happily. Georg had let his hand leave the back of the chair so that he held her hand in his, his thumb casually stroking over her skin. How could it be that his touch made her feel like every nerve in her body was alight? It was like it was hyperaware of him, like it needed him desperately and it couldn't help but respond so positively to the simplest touch.

Trying to focus on the conversation, and not the man next to her, Maria let herself relax once more. It wasn't until she yawned loudly that she realised how tired she had become. Standing up, she bid both Hede and Max goodnight, before she turned to Georg, who had also stood up, insisting he escort her to her room.

"If you aren't back in ten minutes, Georg, I'll come looking!" Max trilled.

Placing his hand on the small of the back, Maria heard him scoff before he gently guided her out of the room.

She turned to look at him as they headed slowly up the stairs. "Did you talk to them?"

"I did," he said, "They have promised to allow us some time alone. Especially if we are out in public since their presence is superfluous. But while I know Max is probably going to revert back to being the worst chaperone ever, unless he can get some form of entertainment out of it, I know Hede won't. There are still rules we have to follow." He paused a moment and added more to himself than to her, "We _need_ to follow."

"I've never been any good with rules," Maria said with a sigh.

He paused, and gave her a long look. "No, I guess not."

Of course, she knew that there were rules to follow. But the thought of not being able to be alone with him was maddening. It had been infuriating having Max hang around them constantly. She wished it could be like how it used to be, and she could just go and see him whenever she wanted to. Nobody had cared that she spent hours talking to him each night after the children went to bed. It had been easy and pleasant conversation, well _most_ of the time it had been. But it had been wonderful, even with the slight trace of confusion that she had felt at the time.

They had arrived outside her bedroom door, far too fast in Maria's opinion. Turning to face him, she saw he was staring at her with a strange look in his eye but it hastily disappeared.

"You look lost, again," he said. "What's wrong?"

She gave him a smile. "Nothing's wrong. I just-I just… Oh, I don't know!" She blew out a puff of air. "I just wish it could be like before, you know? When we used to have all those talks after the children went to bed. Nobody cared if I was with you then. I just want to be able to see you when I want and -" She paused and blushed. "I just want you to be able to kiss me without other people around."

He leant against the door and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Nobody cared then because you were the governess, Maria." He gave her another strange look. "And you weren't exactly thrilled when I did kiss you, remember? You nearly ran away."

She scowled at him. "I was confused!" Giving him a pointed look she added, "I was going to be a nun, remember? And you were… " She waved her hands wildly. "Confusing!"

"I would say I'm sorry again, but I'm not," he said smoothly. "You're mine now and that's all I wanted."

"Well," Maria said, unable to hold onto her frustration. "Good."

She watched as he pushed off the door to stand over her, though he didn't make a move to touch her. He just regarded her with that strange look in his eye and the slight quirk of his lips.

"Why do you stare at me that way?" she asked, unsure whether to be frightened or aroused.

"Because I can."

Aroused it is, then.

Placing her hands on his chest, she moved in to kiss him but he turned his head so she caught his cheek instead. Pulling back, he gave her another smirk and slowly took her hands off his chest. Maria gave him a questioning look but he just grinned at her.

"Uh-uh, darling," he said, tapping her on the nose. "That's against the rules. I'm afraid our ten minutes is up."

Oh, she definitely could have punched him. Instead she drew in a breath and did her best to act like she wasn't desperately wanting him to kiss her senseless.

"Of course," she said, smoothing an invisible wrinkle on her dress. "Goodnight, _Georgy_."

Giving him a large smile before she walked into her room, she shut her door gently in his smug face.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, things progressed pretty much in the same fashion. In the morning, Maria had her lessons with the children and then spent her afternoons split between the household and planning the wedding. But as soon as she was sure she had gotten the hang of one thing, Frau Schmidt would come along and tell her that everything had changed and she had to learn everything all over again. It was slowly driving Maria insane. And she was so tired of finding the housemaids standing in corners whispering and giggling every five seconds.

One day in particular had been awful. The morning had been comprised of the children misbehaving because Liesl had been excused from lessons that day due to feminine issues. And so the rest of them had complained that there were ill too. And when Maria had tried to carefully explain to Kurt that he couldn't catch what Liesl had, he had rolled around on the floor complaining that he had stomach cramps because he was underfed. After just letting the children off for the rest of the day, she had headed downstairs to try and sort of the household schedule for next week when Frau Schmidt had informed her that one of the new housemaids had accidentally shrunk half the bedding for the household.

 _"What would you like me to do?" the housekeeper had asked._

 _"What would you normally do?" Maria had asked, exasperated._

 _"Just purchase some new sheets, Fraulein Maria," Frau Schmidt said simply._

 _Maria had just stared at her. What in the Lord's name do you need me for then?_

 _"Then I suggest doing that, Frau Schmidt, unless you can shrink the beds to fit the sheets," Maria said acidly._

She had apologised after for being so rude, and sent a quick prayer of apology for her impatient attitude, but she was just _so_ tired. And while Hede was a dear, and very helpful, she seemed to talk constantly. And last week Max's cousin, Henrietta, had arrived. While she was less lively than her cousin and more of Maria's idea of an aristocratic lady, she still had no trouble keeping up with Hede's unending streams of conversation. Henrietta possessed the same twinkle in her eye that her cousin had, and was prone to making suggestive comments. Maria had noticed one evening that every time she did, Hede seemed to take a large sip of her drink. Maria had assumed she must have been as embarrassed as Maria, which she had found odd but she'd just shrugged the thought away unable to muster any energy to care.

But that day, that had both been excessively chatty. Putting both Hede and Henrietta in a room meant that Maria barely had two seconds of silence strung together. She had been unable to deal with the relentless suggestions about what kind of cake to choose and Henrietta chiming in when they were going to go shopping for Maria's trousseau. So pretending to go to the bathroom, Maria had excused herself and promptly shut herself in a dark closet for five minutes. All she wanted was some piece and quiet, or maybe for Georg to be in the closet with her.

While they had been spending more time together, she had noticed he'd become somewhat distant in his affections towards her. He was still the same person but she had noticed he made a deliberate effort to keep all this touches quite innocent. And he was spending more and more time out of the house, doing who knew what. Every few days or so they would go to dinner, or to see a show of some kind. And the evening would be utterly magical. During those nights, she had learnt that his father had passed away but his mother was still living - apparently she would be arriving soon, this had both thrilled and terrified Maria. She'd listened utterly fascinated as he told a few of his naval stories. And he had laughed as she had told him a few eventful stories about her life in abbey. It had been wonderful during those nights as they slowly go to know one another better. But she missed him holding her.

They hadn't shared any more of the passionate embraces like they had had the night of the puppet show or the party. Of course, she knew why he was doing it but it didn't stop her from feeling like she was ready to pounce on him if she ever got him alone. Though, she was sure she wouldn't be that bold even if she did. But she certainly daydreamed about it enough.

In her frustration, she had decided it was his entire fault she felt this way, as she knew – she just _knew_ he could see her frustration on her face. She knew this because she'd catch him with that utterly smug look on his face. Oh, she could hit him! But no, they had to play by the _rules_.

Maria hated rules.

* * *

A/N I found this chapter a little difficult and I am still not completely happy with it but it just wasn't getting any better. Most of the next chapter is all ready written so it shouldn't take too long to be up. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Especially the guest ones I can't respond to personally =)


	13. Serenade for Strings

Chapter Thirteen  
Serenade for Strings in C Major II. Valse  
 _\- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky_

* * *

Summer was finally at an end in Aigen, and while the outside world seemed to calm as the leaves changed and the river slowed, the inside of number 34 seemed to be anything but calm. The children had returned to school, except for Gretl, and so there had been a slight decrease in the noise that seemed to permanently infuse the air, but it was still as if all hell had broken loose. There were only two weeks until the wedding and there was a constant flurry of activity from dawn to dusk.

Finding solace in his study, Georg stared at the letter in his hand. His mother was to be arriving today and he was dreading it. Over the past few weeks he had been making an effort to get out of the house. He had purchased two fine horses so he could go riding through the estate, and had been taking Friedrich with him twice each week after school. He had also been making a point of going to town to conduct business with old navy colleagues who had been pestering him for years to take up some new work – most of it coming from England. And it had felt good to be active, truly active. However, he knew he was doing it for one reason and one reason only, so that he could try and keep some distance from Maria. It was slightly unnerving how one smile from her could undo him. She had way about her that just got under his skin.

With his mother arriving though, he wasn't going to be able to escape as often as he would like – if at all. She would want to meet the woman her son was marrying and while Maria was tough, he didn't like the idea of leaving her alone with Lady Hedwig von Trapp.

Of course, with Hede and Henrietta seeming to be constantly glued to Maria's side, she was hardly alone - especially with little Gretl following her everywhere. But Gretl took naps. And Georg knew if he tried, he _could_ get his fiancée alone. The other afternoon, he had heard her clear footsteps in the servant's hall while he had been in the wine cellar, trying to hide a particularly fine bottle of merlot from Max in a secret cupboard. The sound of Maria's voice floating down the stairs above as she chatted to the cook had sent his brain on fire and he had nearly ran up the stone stairs and dragged her down into the cellar with him. But he couldn't do that; he knew that he was the one that needed to be strong – for them both, especially if his mother was going to be here. However, this was easier said than done. Last night he had completely cracked. Those blue eyes had challenged him and he hadn't been able to resist 'rising to the occasion' – as Max was wont to say.

* * *

Sitting in his study, Georg was finishing some work while Max was slowly draining a bottle of his brandy as he lounged on the settee by the fire. He had agreed to let Max borrow his car tomorrow so he could scour the town for entrants in the festival. Though, he was already regretting saying yes as it meant he would have no car to escape if _he_ needed it.

"You know, I'm very disappointed, Georg," Max said, downing his glass and refilling it.

"And why would that be?" Georg asked in a bored tone of voice as he flicked through some paperwork.

Max sat up a little straighter on the couch and tried to fix him with a knowing look. "I haven't found you with that lovely girl in any compromising situations since the day you told me of your engagement."

Georg sighed. "I would think, Max, that would be a good thing."

"Hmm," Max said. "Well, yes, I guess. But it's dull. And I like being entertained."

Georg scoffed and took a sip of his own drink. "We aren't here to entertain you, Max." He watched as Max drained another glass. "I don't know why I keep you around."

"Because _I_ am entertaining," Max said with a grin. "Besides, with Hede and Henrietta, you don't _really_ need me. But when your mother gets here, you will."

This was true. Georg knew he was going to need someone to keep him sane, and that was saying something if he believed Max to be the fellow to keep him in his right mind. He was about to open his mouth to respond when Maria walked in. Even just the sight of her was enough to make him feel better.

"Good evening, Maria" Max said jovially as he flopped back down on the lounge.

"Good evening, Max," she replied with an exhausted smile. "What brings you here?"

Max raised his eyebrows and stared into his empty glass. "Your fiancé was kind enough to allow me to borrow his car tomorrow, in return for his trouble I have agreed to take this old brandy off his hands." He waved the nearly empty bottle with a happy chortle.

Maria gave a small laugh as she took a seat across from Georg's desk and faced him. "Well, the children have all been doing well in school, according to their teachers."

Georg listened as she gave a brief recap on how the children were doing, as well as how she was going with her the household and wedding plans. She was telling him about how Gretl was helping her with flowers today and he watched in amazement as she talked with such love and care about his daughter. He had caught sight of them throughout the day, Maria usually running through the halls with Gretl trailing after her.

"I may have gotten a little, er, cross with one of the responses from a so called friend of yours and tore it up," Maria said, and then she frowned. "My dress makes it quite obvious I'm not a 'wanton harlot who got a suffering naval hero to make an honourable sacrifice so there would be no children out of wedlock.'" She sniffed and gave him a smile. "I have half a mind to send their addresses to Sister Berthe!"

Georg had heard many stories of the formidable Sister Berthe and he was torn between wanting to meet the nun and never ever catching sight of her. But he was proud of how much more confident Maria had become over the last few weeks. There had been a few negative replies to the wedding invitations and he was glad to see she was dealing with it better than before.

"Gretl started singing 'My Favourite Things' to make me feel better," Maria was saying. "Not that she understood why I was mad. Oh, but it was so sweet!"

"Such a shame you won't let me use them in the festival, Georg," Max interrupted, swirling his drink in his hand. "Even the little ones sound amazing on their own."

For a few blissful moments he had completely forgotten that Max had been in the room.

Sending Max an irritated glare, he said, "Max, do not start that again. I may decide to withdraw my invitation to stay here."

"Ah, remember you didn't invite me? Can't rescind it if you never sent it!" Max said jovially.

There was the sound of Maria stifling a giggle at that and he turned to face her once more.

"Do not encourage him, Maria," he said, though he struggled to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Sorry," Maria said pleasantly. "Anyway, I best be off. Goodnight to you both."

Georg stood up as she did and walked around the side of his desk and took her hand gently. Bringing her hand to his lips, he meant to give it a brief kiss but couldn't help but linger ever so slightly. Her skin was so incredibly soft and the scent of her skin wafted up to greet him.

"Goodnight, darling," Georg said, lowering her hand.

"G-goodnight," she breathed, and Georg could see that her eyes had gone dark and she was biting down on her bottom lip.

It was clear that his somewhat chaste affections had started to annoy his bride. Though he had a feeling she wouldn't say anything, not that she really needed to. He had caught her staring at him the other night at dinner and the look in her eye had been anything but chaste. It was as though he had unleashed some sort of monster that had previously been bottled-up behind a wimple. And now there was no wimple to hide behind, it was slowly stretching it claws and trying to catch him. He was very glad for her poor acting skills and inability to plot her way out of a wet paper bag. Not that he was sure she would dare act on anything, he mused.

He felt a pair of eyes boring onto him and rounded on Max. "What?"

"I didn't say anything!" Max slurred.

Rolling his eyes, he walked over to Max and took the glass out of his hand.

"You didn't need to say anything, I could feel your eyes practically burning into my skin with how hard you were staring," Georg snapped.

Max made to grab the glass back but just fell back on the chair with a sad little thump.

"You practically drooled all over hand and she looked like she enjoyed it far too much," Max said. Then he held out his own hand and said in a torturously slurred falsetto voice. "Oh, Maria! Mwah, mwah, mwah!" And then he pressed his hand to his chest and pretended to swoon, "Oh, Captain!"

"Max!" Georg barked. He went to grab the bottle but his friend hastily snatched it and held it tightly as if it were a baby.

"Shhhh, Georg," Max whispered dramatically.

"I hope you have the biggest hangover in the world tomorrow," Georg said as he stared at his drunk friend.

"Mmhmm," mumbled Max.

With a shake of his head, Georg left his study and headed out into the hallway. There were only a few lights on as it was quite late in the evening, and there was a hush that filled the house. As he went to head upstairs, the library door caught his attention. It was open just a crack and he could see there was light spilling out.

He headed in and wandered through the shelves, the plush carpet sucking at his footsteps. It wasn't until he came to a small alcove at the back that he spotted Maria. She was sitting on her knees, her dress fanned our around her as she read. She didn't turn her head or even look up, as she was utterly engrossed in whatever she was reading. He snuck up behind her and peered over her shoulder to read what had captured his little Fraulein's attention.

 _'Oh, please!'  
Annabelle held tightly to the Commander as his hands glided up her bare thighs, her stockings laying forgotten on the ground with the rest of her clothing. She could feel his mouth; hot and wet on her neck as he kissed every inch of skin he could reach. Annabelle tried to remain standing but her bones had gone limp as he continued his assault on her neck while a hand brushed against her bare breast._

Georg stood up straight. _Oh, God_. Where the devil did she get this? He needed to leave - he _should_ leave. But he didn't, and he knew he wasn't going to go anywhere. Instead, he found himself opening his stupid mouth.

"What have you got there?"

With a cry of surprise, Maria snapped the book shut and hurriedly shot up onto her feet. Georg saw her flushed cheeks and couldn't help notice her heaving chest as she clutched the book to it, concealing the cover. Not that he needed to see the cover, he had read enough to know exactly what kind of book she had been so captivated by.

"Nothing!" Maria babbled, and Georg couldn't help but be amused by her terrible attempt at lying.

With a raised eyebrow, Georg simply held out his hand in a silent gesture for her to hand over the offending novel. She didn't move though, she just stared at a point past his shoulder.

"Maria?" he asked as she held the book tightly.

Taking a deep breath, she handed the book to him and continued to avoid looking him in the eye.

"Hmm," he said, turning the book and looking at the cover.

It had an illustration of a very beautiful lady clinging to a well-muscled man. He gave the summary a quick glance and saw it was about a British Naval Commander and some Duchess he was escorting through pirated waters.

"Enjoying this were you, darling? You seemed very… enthralled by it," he went on with a quirk of his lips.

He knew he shouldn't be teasing her, but he couldn't help himself. The look on her face was absolutely priceless and he didn't even need her to answer as her body language gave her away. He could see her bottom lip was slightly swollen from where she surely must have been biting down on it. It was painfully obvious she had been enjoying it and he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at the thought.

She swallowed and made a non-committal noise as she stared at her feet. "I don't see what is so amusing."

"I just didn't think this would be your sort of reading material, that's all," he said.

"Well…" Maria said imperiously, "I'm not a _nun_ so I don't see why I can't read a romance novel if I want to."

 _Indeed_ , he thought. Nuns certainly don't go around reading these kinds of stories, and certainly don't get all hot and bothered over them. And she was clearly very hot and bothered. Georg tried to still the immediate surge of desire that shot through him at that realisation.

"Of course," he said.

"Right," Maria agreed.

He flicked through a few more pages. "So, _were_ you enjoying it?"

"It was all right, I suppose," she said, and gave a small sniff.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself, immensely," he said smoothly as he traced a finger along the spine.

"Well," Maria said, and he looked back at her to see her raise her chin and look back at a point past his shoulder. "My fiancé _refuses_ to kiss me properly so I have to settle for reading about it instead."

That sounded like a challenge to Georg. He could practically hear her begging him to kiss her. This was going too far already, this was why he had been out of the house. Why he had carefully avoided getting her alone unless they were in public. He had to be strong. But he was so close to breaking.

"Maria…"

"Yes?" she said, finally looking at him.

It was a mistake. Well, it was mistake in terms of the _rules_. He broke. Georg tossed the book and next thing he had his hands in her hair and his mouth on hers. It was utter heaven. She was kissing him back with equal urgency, her hands desperately clinging at whatever part of him she could reach.

"I thought-" Maria said between kisses. "This-" _Kiss_. "Was-" _Kiss_. "Oh!" His mouth was on her neck; gently nipping it's way down to her shoulder. "Against the-" She moaned as his hands ran down her sides. "Rules."

"Mmm, most _definitely_ ," he purred into her ear. "But remember, darling, I got that lovely medal for doing something I shouldn't have. So, you're not the only one prone to rule-breaking."

A moan escaped her as he pulled her into him again, his tongue seeking hers. He was drinking her in and savouring every touch. The feel of her small hands clinging to him as she pressed herself up against him caused his head to reel, and without another thought he had pushed her up against a shelf so he had her pinned.

Her mouth was soft and welcoming, and he could barely think straight as her hands moved under his jacket. _God_ , he had missed her mouth. But when he felt her small hands slip to his back to press him more firmly against her, he hastily pulled back.

"Don't stop!" she said through panted breaths.

He managed to quirk an eyebrow at her and he watched her face flush even further.

"Maria, we shouldn't be doing this," he said, trying to control his own breathing.

"Georg, I just want a kiss, or three," she said and then furrowed her brow at him. "And proper kisses! The past few weeks I feel like I've been transported into a Jane Austen novel!"

He gently let the back of his hand graze down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I just thought it would be best if we had a little distance. I don't want things to get out of hand. Again."

"I know," she said and gave him a small smile. "And I have loved all the time we have been spending together, all the dinners and outings. I really have. But I miss this. You can tell me you love me all you want, and try and shower with more new clothes and jewellery. But, when you kiss me-" She gave a happy sigh. "I can feel that you do!"

 _Of course you can_ , he thought wryly, _I had myself pressed right against you_. But he knew that wasn't what she had meant. Or maybe she had, it was so hard to tell with her sometimes.

"Well, kisses are fine," Georg said and cleared his throat. "But you need to keep your hands to yourself." He smirked at her. "Or I shall have to make you."

She gave him that same mischievous grin she had the first day he met her, when she had blown the whistle at him.

"Make me?" she scoffed. "Oh, _Captain_ , I'd like to see you try."

 _O-ho, you little minx_. Drawing himself up, he grasped both of her hands in one of his and held them above her head, gently pinning them against the bookshelf in one swift movement. She had instantly lost the smirk on her face and was watching him with wide eyes.

And then he kissed her _properly,_ just as she had asked. After he was sure he'd made his point, he let her hands drop to her sides and stood back from her, admiring his handiwork. She was staring at him through half-lidded eyes and her lips were parted and swollen.

"Nothing to say, _Fraulein_?" he asked. "Why, I should have done this before if I had known it would keep you quiet."

She glared at him then and stuck out her chin. "No wonder all those women gossip, you are the worst."

He laughed. "Oh, that was nothing." He gave her a slow smile. "Goodnight, darling."

Georg took one of her hands and gave it another kiss before he left his thoroughly dishevelled fiancée leaning against the bookshelf. Once he was sure she wouldn't be able to see or hear him, he practically ran to the master suite so he could take a much needed cold shower.

* * *

There was a knock on the study door and Georg put the letter down as he bid whoever was there to come in. But nobody entered. Confused, he got out of his chair and opened the door. The foyer was empty. Tapping his fingers against his leg, he stepped out of the study and started to walk out of the room. He was about to turn around and head back to his study when a hand shot out from the ballroom and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, dragging him into the room.

The door shut with a soft click and he looked down utterly bewildered to see Maria staring at him like he was the last slice of strudel.

"Hello," she said breathlessly.

"Good morning," he said, unable to stop the smirk spreading across his face. "Can I help you?"

He was answered by her throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him like her life depended on it. Georg was unable to remember a time where he had been the one pinned against a door. Actually, he was certain he had never been the one being ravished before. It was certainly an experience, a thoroughly delightful one at that.

"Maria…" he tried to say as she continued her heavenly assault.

"Don't talk," she panted. "We have five minutes before your sister realises I'm missing. I said I had to help the children get ready for school."

"Subterfuge, darling?" he teased. "Something you learnt at the abbey?"

"No." Maria smiled up at him. "Louisa, actually. She's very tricky."

"Hmm, I hope my daughter is not sneaking off so she can go kiss boys though," he replied, letting his hands glide down the sides of her dress.

"Ha, no," Maria said. "Anyway, are you going to stop talking and kiss me now?"

He saluted. "Yes, Captain."

Her tinkling laughter was smothered as he brought his lips back to hers. It had been foolish to try and keep her at bay. How he had survived without that mouth was beyond him. It felt like it had been mere seconds before the sound of Hede calling for Maria forced them apart.

She gave him slow smile. "Now we can pretend we are in a Jane Austen novel."

"Had your fill of the other kind?"

"For now," she said with a blush and then exited the room through the french doors and out onto the terrace, disappearing through the hedges.

 _"Maria!"_

Trying to straighten his clothing, Georg sucked in a breath and casually exited the ballroom. He was certainly never going to underestimate Maria again, that was for sure.

"Georg!"

"Yes, Hede?" he said, turning to face her as he reached his study door.

She gave him an impatient look. "Have you seen Maria?"

"No, I have not," he said.

"I can't find her anywhere and I thought you may have gone and hidden her away in some broom cupboard," she said with a knowing look. Her eyes slid to his hair. "Nice hair."

He cast a glance in a nearby mirror. Well, he looked like he had been doing exactly what Hede was accusing him of doing. His hair was a mess, at least his clothes were somewhat neat.

"Children must have messed it up," he said casually, pushing a lock back off his face.

"Hmm, yes," Hede said, clearly not believing a word.

"Hede, I certainly have not hidden Maria away in any broom cupboards, I can assure you." Yes, that was true.

"Fine," she said with a clatter of bracelets as she waved her hands. "But if I catch you, you will certainly be glad you've already had seven children, Georgy."

Rolling his eyes, he walked into his study and shut the door in his sister's knowing face. _God_ , he was so tired of having nosy women in his house, soon to be more with his mother arriving. It made him feel sorry for his two sons, how did they survive with five sisters. He could barely stand the one.

* * *

Sitting outside in the cool air, Maria stared at her hand. She watched as the sunlight caught the light of her engagement ring. It was simple with its deep sapphire flanked by two smaller diamonds. He had given it to her a few days after he'd asked her to marry her. She had been playing hide-n-seek with the children until Kurt her told that Georg had joined them and was hiding too. After finding all the children, she had come across him in the gazebo and she had laughed at his terrible hiding spot.

 _"We were playing inside, not outside, Captain," she said as she approached him._

 _He stood and gave her that devilish half-smile. "I thought it would be more romantic out here than in a kitchen pantry."_

 _"What would?"_ **  
**

And it had been. It had been a proposal just for her, not made in the middle of the night or in front of seven children. That felt like forever ago, even though it had only been six weeks. After her embarrassing outburst at Frau Schmidt the other day, she had spoken to both Hede and Henrietta about how overwhelmed she was feeling and that had both been reassuring. Maria had admitted that she hadn't wanted to seem like she couldn't handle becoming Baroness von Trapp. Though, with only Gretl to look after now, it was becoming easier to get a handle on the wedding preparations. And she had finally gotten into a routine with Frau Schmidt.

The encounter in the library had also done wonders to Maria's spirits. She had replayed it over and over in her head last night and then this morning until she had finally been brave enough to lure Georg out of his study. With the wedding only two weeks away, she was burning with anticipation about being alone with him again and just had not been able to help herself. The man was driving her crazy, she was sure. She didn't understand how he could remain so in control! But she needed to control herself.

Georg's mother was arriving today and would be here any minute now. She was incredibly nervous. What if the woman didn't like her? What if Maria wasn't good enough for her son? What if she realised Maria didn't know what fork to use and just used her salad fork for everything? _Oh help._

"There you are!"

Maria looked up and saw Henrietta walking over to her. She took a seat on the bench next to Maria and stared out at the lake.

"Hede and I have been looking for you everywhere," she said. "It's so lovely out here."

"Yes," Maria said. "I just needed, uh, a moment to myself."

Henrietta patted her hand gently. "Don't worry too much, you'll be fine. You handled Georg just fine so you'll survive his mother."

Maria just nodded, her mind still in the ballroom.

"And at least we have your last fitting this afternoon," Henrietta said happily. "That's something to look forward to." She cast a glance at Maria and said, "And we shall also need to get the last few items for your trousseau."

Maria tried not to blush but it was pointless; her cheeks were pink before she could stop it. All she had left to get was her lingerie, she'd been putting it off with the way Georg had been acting. But now, after the interlude in the library and the way she had watched his control crumble, she couldn't wait to pick something out. Something that would make him crumble all over again. She shuddered at the thought.

"Maria," said Henrietta carefully. "You do know what to expect, don't you? Of the wedding night, that is."

Maria coughed. "Well yes, I know the basic, uh, nature of things. Like I've told your cousin, I wasn't _born_ in the abbey."

"Yes, well," Henrietta said, "If you have any questions, you can always ask me. Or Hede."

"Thank you," Maria said sincerely.

"Now, we better head in, I think Lady von Trapp will be here shortly and we don't want to be dawdling!"

Maria gave her ring one last look before she stood and smoothed her skirts, and then followed Henrietta up to the terrace.

"She's here," said Hede, who was sitting at the table, as they approached.

A moment later, Georg walked out onto the terrace accompanied by an elderly lady. She seemed to be covered head to toe in furs and when her piercing blue eyes landed on Maria, she had to still the impulse to curtsy.

"Mother, may I introduce Fraulein Maria Rainer, my fiancée," said Georg in a stiff voice. "Maria, this is my mother – Lady Hedwig von Trapp."

Taking a deep breath, Maria smiled. "How do you do?"

"Hello, dear," said the woman. "Do sit, not need to stand there like some nitwit."

Maria sat down carefully, casting a few glances over at Georg as he helped his mother into a chair.

"Hedwig. Tea," she barked as she sat down.

Hede waved a dismissive hand. "Hello to you too, Mother."

Maria watched as Hede stood up and jingled her way inside to fetch a housemaid.

"Hello, Henrietta," said Lady von Trapp.

"Good morning, Lady von Trapp," said Henrietta with a polite smile. "Do excuse me, I have some letters I need to write."

Once Henrietta had left, it was just Maria, Georg and his mother.

The woman fixed her with an icy stare. "So, you're the governess."

It wasn't a question. Maria twisted her hands underneath the table as she tried to keep a hold of her composure. Normally, she wouldn't let such a woman intimidate her. She hadn't let Dame Vogel. But this wasn't just any high society lady. This woman was going to be her mother-in-law.

"I was the governess, yes," Maria said.

"How old are you?" she asked sharply.

"Um, twenty-three," Maria said and she saw the look on Georg's face as his mother rounded on him.

"Goodness, Georg," she said, smoothing down her stole. "And I thought you couldn't surprise me any further than you have already." She turned back to Maria. "It doesn't bother you how much older my son is? Or that he has seven children?"

"No, I love the children" Maria said honestly. "I loved them before I loved their father. And, as for age, it's never crossed my mind."

Which was true, it hadn't crossed her mind until now. Of course, she knew he was older than her, _obviously_. But Maria had never really thought about it.

The woman raised her eyebrows at her. "It hasn't? He'd old enough to be _your_ father."

Maria frowned. She didn't know what this woman was trying to achieve. Maria had expected her to try and rifle through Maria's sorry past, not try and make her son sound like some perverted old man.

"I love him, I don't know what else you want me to say," Maria said before she could hold her tongue.

Lady von Trapp gave her a hard stare. "No wonder you're not in that convent, you certainly don't strike me as the nun type, young lady."

Maria wasn't sure if it was a compliment or not, it was hard to tell. But she spent the morning with Hede, Georg and Lady von Trapp. And she did her best to try and not make any more outbursts but it was hard not too, especially when the woman would ask such sharp and piercing questions and Maria would quickly reply without thinking. But, it hadn't been _too_ bad and by the time the woman excused herself to go rest before the children arrived home from school, Maria was feeling less uneasy about the situation. Not much, but still it was an improvement.

"Well done," Georg said, giving her a smile once Hede had escorted Lady von Trapp out.

"I don't think she likes me very much," Maria said.

Georg chuckled. "My mother doesn't like anyone." He paused. "Except maybe the cat. And the children."

Maria gave a nervous laugh. "It's a wonder you turned out so loving then."

"You have _my_ governesses to thank for that," he said with a grin. "Though they weren't as pretty as you."

Maria blushed, she was not used to being called pretty and every time he commented on her appearance, she couldn't help the way her cheeks would burn.

Georg gave her another reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you don't have to put up with her for long. And she's not that bad. If you have the children with you she'll be nice, well mostly. Otherwise, put some gin in her tea, that's what Hede does."

Maria laughed again but sobered instantly at the serious expression on her fiancé's face. "Oh."

The world was turning out to be a strange place. "Georg?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you think it would be all right if Liesl came with me this afternoon?"

Georg frowned at her. "Why? Aren't Hede and Henrietta taking you shopping for your trousseau?"

Maria hesitated. "Yes, they are. But I have my last fitting today and I thought it might be nice if Liesl came too, she's nearly seventeen and I think she would love to come." She gave him a smile. "It's not champagne and it's not boys, but it's something more mature than playing with puppets."

"All right, then," he said. He then fixed her with a small glint in his eye. "I finished booking our honeymoon today."

Maria felt her face spread into an excited smile. "Oh! Where are we going? What are we doing? Do I need anything special? I'm so excited!"

"No," he chuckled, "You don't need anything special. We are going to Paris."

Maria clasped her hands together. "Paris!"

"Yes," Georg said, and then he grabbed her hand and gave it a kiss. "Hede told me how much you loved hearing about it from her so I thought you just might like to visit. We will be gone six weeks."

"Six weeks!"

Was that normal? Maria didn't know how long a honeymoon was supposed to go for but she had thought two weeks at most. Six weeks!

Giving her a grin like a tiger, he added, "As for what we will be doing, well… certainly nothing your beloved Jane Austen would write about." He winked.

Maria blushed. "You said six weeks, Georg. We can't, um, you know, uh, for six weeks."

"Yes, I know," he said with a dramatic sigh. "I would have made it longer but ah well, you'll just have to survive with only six weeks."

Longer? _Oh help._

"Won't six weeks be long enough?" Maria asked tentatively.

"Not nearly long enough," he said.

 _Maybe I'll need more than one new set of pretty lingerie_ , Maria mused.

* * *

A/N Part of this chapter contained a rewrite, or alternate version, of my story "Anything Goes" - which fits into my "Here Comes The Sun" universe. I've altered it due to the different circumstances but if you have read AG and something seemed familiar then that is why.


	14. Libertango

Chapter Fourteen  
Libertango  
 _-_ _Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla_

* * *

"Oh, you look so lovely!" squealed Liesl.

The seamstress gave Maria a prod to put her arms up so she could pin the side of the dress. Sneaking a glance at her reflection Maria tried not to smile like an idiot at what she saw. She _did_ look lovely. The dress was finally coming together and Maria was finally feeling like a bride, a real bride. Not a girl dressing up in her mother's clothing. Over the last few weeks, she had been trying her best to prove to both Georg and the rest of the household that she wasn't a child. And she was certain that nobody seeing her in this dress could say that she looked like one.

"I've never felt so special in my whole life," Maria said without thinking.

"That's good," said Henrietta with a laugh. "I think that's the idea."

Maria gave the woman a warm smile as the seamstress finished making her adjustments. After the fitting was finished they stopped by a small café to have afternoon tea, Liesl still gushing about the wedding dress.

After tea, they headed into a small boutique. The walls were covered in all kinds of different lingerie and sleepwear, in multitudes of different fabrics and colours. Maria couldn't help but stare open mouthed until a tall, white haired woman came over to them and asked what they were after. Maria was aware of Hede talking to the saleswoman, but she had already drifted away. Her eye had been caught by a champagne coloured silk robe. It had a deep v neckline and the bodice was made up of lace detailing, which also adorned the cuffs of the long flowing sleeves. A row of several tiny buttons held the garment together at the bodice while the bottom of it flowed down to the ground. It was beautiful. The new garments that had been purchased for her by Georg had been lovely but this, _this_ looked like something a bride would wear.

"I'm glad to see that a life in a convent hasn't ruined your sense of taste," Maria heard Henrietta say from behind her.

Maria turned and smiled awkwardly. "You don't think it's too much?"

Henrietta rolled her eyes. "Your veil is about the length of Austria, so, no, I don't this is too much."

Touching the fabric, Maria let her fingers trail over the small buttons and lace. It was so different to anything else she'd ever owned before. It certainly was not made for sleeping in, and that thought made her face burn and she shuffled away to see what the others were looking at.

"I found some matching lingerie and all the other 'unmentionables' as my mother likes to call them," said Hede, handing Maria a pile of silk as Liesl giggled.

Once Maria had settled on a few other designs and colours, mostly soft blues and pinks, they were picked up by Franz and taken back to the villa, the car practically bursting with bags.

* * *

"Georg, it says here we've been invited to the soiree at the Elberfeld's tomorrow night?"

Looking up from his desk, he scowled irritably at his mother. She was standing at his desk and rifling through the pile of letters on his desk, not caring at all that she was invading his privacy.

"Mother," Georg begun, trying not to sound like he was six years old, "I believe that is my personal mail. I do not need you to go through it."

His mother scoffed as she went through the small pile. "You haven't even answered it." She looked up at him sharply. "Why?"

"In case you've forgotten, I've had a wedding to plan."

"Yes, but you are also expected to attend these things, Georg and they are old friends. And I wish to see them."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Georg sighed. "I'm getting married in a _week_."

"Exactly. And nobody has met your bride! No wonder people talk, you've got her cooped up in here like some suffering princess." Lady von Trapp looked down at the invitation. "They're probably expecting you to start digging a moat soon."

"I have not," Georg retorted, though a moat sounded like a great idea. Maybe he could have one built after Paris to keep both his mother and Max out. "And we have been out a few times."

"Yes," his mother said. "But not to such a large event where everyone will be in attendance! And if Captain von Trapp doesn't turn up, well..." She trailed off and gave him a meaningful look. "Imagine what people would say."

Resisting the urge to say he didn't care what people said, he cleared his throat and waved a hand in supplication.

"Fine," he said finally.

* * *

As they walked through the large doors and into the castle, Maria did her best to not fidget with the ends of her gloves. As they moved through the large hallway, she was very aware of eyes watching them curiously. Lifting her chin, she let Georg navigate them through the ornate hall until they walked into a large open ballroom. She watched as Max escorted his cousin, Hede and Lady von Trapp through the room and Maria couldn't help but stare at the sight that greeted her. The ballroom must have been at least three times the size of the one at the villa. Sparkling chandeliers hung down from the ceiling and there were a few high arched doors that lead out onto a sprawling courtyard that was lit with fairy lights.

Over the past few weeks, Maria had been acquainted with Baron and Baroness Elberfeld. They were a lovely elderly couple, and both had been welcoming to Maria, which had been a great relief. And she'd also been introduced to a few other old navy friends of Georg's during the occasional intimate dinner but they had not attended any large parties. The only party she'd attended had been the one back at the villa, and that certainly didn't count. She couldn't hide behind pillars or use the children as an excuse if she wanted to leave. If Maria was honest, she knew she couldn't deny that she'd been excited that they were attending a party. She'd wanted to dress up and dance back at the 'grand and glorious' party back at the villa and now here was her chance! And she was even in a finely made gown of silk and chiffon, that twirled with even the simplest movement, and she was on the arm of the man she loved.

However, she couldn't help but feel out of sorts as they walked through the ballroom, and her dress, which up until now had been fine, suddenly felt too tight. Her nerves were on high alert and her anxious mind kept warbling at her, telling her she didn't belong here. It was one thing to have mastered the villa but another completely to be outside those walls with people staring at her like she was some novelty act Max had hired. It was like the past five weeks her whole world had just existed inside number 34, and it had been easier to forget about the gossips and rumours that were flying around.

 _I do belong here_ , she told herself. _I belong here with him. With my Captain._

Letting her eyes slide to her fiancé, she took in his effortlessly relaxed but authoritative demeanour as he regarded the other partygoers with a lazy eye.

Not looking at her, he spoke in a low voice so only she could hear.

"Don't be nervous, darling."

Maria glanced at him again. "I'm trying, I really am." She did her best to take in the scene in the same serene manner as he. "Everyone is staring at us – at _me_."

"Let them," he said, taking two glasses of champagne off a passing waiter.

Accepting the glass, Maria did her best not to instantly swallow the whole lot.

"Remember," he went on, "They just want to see you squirm, don't let them get to you." He gestured towards Lady von Trapp as she walked by with Max. "You survived my mother after all."

Maria smiled at that. "True."

Maria had taken to having tea with Lady von Trapp, usually accompanied with Hede and Henrietta – even occasionally Liesl. While the woman was certainly not what Maria would call rude, she had a certain air about her that made Maria feel like she was not happy with her son's choice of wife. Though, it should hardly surprise her. She had probably expected a new daughter in law called Elsa, not Maria. Maria sighed, it wasn't worth agonising over. There was only one more week left to get through and then it would be just her and her Captain. _Finally_.

Edging a little closer to her, he said in a low rumble, "They're just jealous."

"Of me?" Maria questioned, her voice tinged with surprise.

"Of course." He glance at her and gave her a grin. "You get to marry me, after all."

Unable to help it, Maria rolled her eyes. "You are far too modest."

He laughed. "Yes, well-" He cleared his throat. "The men are also incredibly jealous of me because I have you."

"Ah," Maria said seriously as she nodded. "Because it must be so hard for an old man to keep up with seven children – you need all the help you can get."

He raised his eyebrows at her and said. "You are spending too much time with my mother, I don't like it."

Maria smirked into her wine glass. "Sorry, I don't think that." She gave him a lopsided smile. "I think you can keep up just fine."

"Hmm," he grumbled. "Anyway, they are jealous because I get to take you home and ravish you senseless."

Maria shook her head. "No, you don't."

"Well, not yet," Georg conceded. "But I will soon. And for now, I at least have my imagination." He leant even closer so he could whisper in her ear. "And, _oh_ , the things you do in my imagination, darling."

Maria blushed from head to toe. "You-you don't have my permission to think such things about my person!" she fumbled.

"Permission?" he smirked, taking a swig of champagne. "I didn't know you knew that word."

"Oh, you!"

He gave a low laugh and returned his gaze towards the other guests. "As I was saying, all those men are jealous of me because I get to kiss those sweet lips of yours." He took another swig of champagne and continued in the same low voice. "And in one more week, I won't need to steal you away into a closet so I can do just that."

He turned to face her, and while their conversation certainly appeared the very epitome of a courteous and innocent talk between an engaged couple, his eyes blazed at her. Her heart kicked wildly in her chest and her fingers gripped the stem of the glass tightly. Trying to find something to say – anything to say, she found she couldn't and so her mouth just stayed open as she stared at him.

"Captain von Trapp!" came a booming voice.

Giving her one last look before he turned to welcome the guests approaching them, she just nodded dully before she saw the confident and calm mask sliding back onto his face. He should not be allowed to talk, she thought. It wasn't fair that he could say a few things in that low voice of his and suddenly cause her body to catch fire. The other day he'd pulled her into a small closet in the laundry and made her utterly breathless before casually sauntering off to meet Friedrich for a ride through the estate. He never played by the rules, Maria thought. But at least she wasn't feeling nervous, so that was something.

"Ah, a pleasure to see you again, Count Ziegler," Georg was saying.

Maria turned to face the couple that had approached them. The man, Count Ziegler, was short and round – like an egg, Maria thought. And he had the largest moustache she had ever seen. Why, his whole face seemed to be taken up by hair with his equally large eyebrows, which were competing with the moustache for turf over his enthusiastic face. His little eyes peered up at Maria and he gave her a large grin.

"Hello!" he boomed, causing Maria to blink and lean back a little. "You must be Fraulein Maria!"

"How do you do?" Maria said politely, trying to suppress a smile as the man bounced happily on his heels.

Gesturing to his partner, he said, "This is my wife, Countess Sophia."

"Bonjour, mademoiselle," she said, her voice coated luxuriously in a thick French accent.

"Bonjour," Maria said pleasantly, trying not to stare at the woman.

She was nearly the same height as Georg and completely towered over her husband. And she was gorgeous, effortlessly so and Maria couldn't help but stare. Giving her head a shake, she idly listened as Georg and Count Ziegler made pleasant conversation, or at least Georg did. The little man seemed incapable of speaking any lower than a happy shout. He also tended to bark out his words in short sentences and Maria was immediately reminded of a small dog, trying to appear a lot bigger than he actually was.

They were all interrupted when Baron Elberfeld came over, insisting Georg come join him and some other old navy comrades for cigar and brandy. Giving Maria an encouraging half smile, he left with Count Ziegler and Baron Elberfeld. Alone with just the Countess, Maria cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to think of something to say.

"You were the teacher, no?" asked the Countess in broken German.

" _Yes, I was the governess_ ," Maria replied in French.

The woman instantly smiled at her. _"Oh! You speak French?"_ she said in her native tongue.

 _"Yes,"_ Maria replied and the woman immediately became more animated as she started to ask more questions.

After insisting Maria just call her Sophia, the Countess politely asked about how Maria had met Georg and also what it was like with seven children.

 _"Oh, how romantic,"_ sighed Sophia after Maria had given her a similar story to the one she told Hede.

Maria just gave a little shrug, it hadn't sounded romantic to her. And it had been anything but at the time. It had been torturous and heartbreaking, but she wasn't going to shatter the woman's illusion.

Flashing the woman a smile, she took a sip of her champagne. Peering past the Countess's shoulder, she could see Georg standing inside a room, just off the ballroom, with a group of men, a cloud of cigar smoke hanging above their heads. They were interrupted when a pair of women trailed over to them and started speaking to her Captain. Maria noticed how one of them made an effort to constantly touch his arm. They were both wearing the exact same dress, except one woman wore a lurid shade of green, while the other was dressed in a frightful shade of pink that Maria was sure not even Marta would like it.

She watched fascinated as he spoke to the women. It was just like at the party at the villa, she thought. Even without hearing him, she could tell he was using his 'Captain' voice and he had that smug, arrogant air about him that made Maria both want to punch and kiss him at the same time.

 _"I'd watch out for those two,"_ came the voice of the Countess.

Maria saw she was looking at the two women, who were practically throwing themselves at her fiancé. If it hadn't been so horribly painful to watch their desperate flirtation, Maria was sure she would have been feeling jealous.

 _"Who are they?"_ Maria asked.

Sophia waved an elegant hand. _"Oh, nobody really. All they do is gossip and pinch any attractive backsides they can find, it's quite sad really."  
_  
Maria's eyebrows rose at that and she tilted her head slightly to check her fiancé's posterior, which appeared to free of anyone touching it – but she couldn't deny it certainly looked tempting. Her face turning pink, she hastily turned back to the Countess.

 _"I'll keep it in mind then,"_ Maria said.

Maria spent her night politely mingling with a few other guests, some had certainly not been as welcoming as the Ziegler's or Elberfeld's but she had made sure to keep her head held high and to be a polite as possible. Though, it was becoming quite clear that nearly everyone that seemed to have a problem with her was female. And while he'd been obscenely arrogant, it seemed that they were just jealous of her. Honestly, she didn't blame them.

He _was_ a titled naval hero after all - and let's not forget handsome, the wicked part of her mind added. He could have had anyone he wanted – he could have had the elegant and refined Baroness Schraeder. But he had chosen her: a flighty, will-o-the-wisp girl with nothing but an old guitar, and a battered carpetbag containing a thick nightgown, a habit and a small book of prayers. Catching her eye, he sent her one of his devastating smiles and she felt her heart thud in her chest.

 _"I've met Captain von Trapp quite a few times,"_ Sophia said thoughtfully, her accented vowels rolling off her tongue. _"But before tonight I don't think I've ever seen him smile. Not really smile."_

* * *

"Hmm, her cheeks are a pretty shade of pink, but not any pinker than a rose is," said one woman. *

"Yes, I suppose," agreed another. "Her skin may be delicate and soft, but not any softer than a doe's is."*

"She certainly is _not_ graceful - that's for sure. I saw her nearly trip over her gown before. I don't know what Captain von Trapp sees in her."

"Oh, it's probably cheaper just to marry her than keep paying her."

Georg had the strongest urge to whack both women over the head with his gloves, but he refrained. He had overheard someone say Maria's name and naturally he'd tuned into the conversation. They were standing on the other side of a small hedge outside in the large courtyard and he could see the feathers that they had stuck in their hair peeping out over the top. He went to leave when one of the women said something that made his blood freeze.

"Did you speak to Nora? I saw her earlier but was a little too busy to get to speak with her properly. I didn't even know she was here in Salzburg."

"I only spoke to her briefly; she's here with some other old naval officer. I did tell her Captain von Trapp was here and she looked positively gleeful."

"Did you tell her he's getting married?"

"No!" There was a snort. "I thought it would be more entertaining not to."

There was a mad pealing of laughter from the women as they continued to talk about his private affairs. He cursed under his breath. While he knew Maria was slowly becoming more accustomed to his past, he knew it still bothered her – no matter what she said. He certainly had no desire for her to be on speaking terms with it, especially not that woman. He repressed the urge to shudder. Shoving his fingers back into his gloves, he made his way across the courtyard to try and find Maria.

There weren't many people outside now, the air had become quite cool on this autumn night, but he had needed a breath of fresh air. There was only so much talking to old naval officers he could stand for one evening. It was always a painful reminder of what he had lost. A captain without a sea, how depressing. Now I just navigate through a sea of paperwork, he thought bitterly.

There was the feel of a hand on his wrist and he turned.

"Well, hello, _Captain_."

She didn't look much different than he remembered, though his recollections were hazy at best due to the amount of alcohol he used to consume. Nora Mayer was slim, dark-haired and her painted red lips matched the red dress she wore. That's what he had remembered about her, the red. Red lips, red dress and red wine.

"Good evening, Fraulein Mayer," he said politely and saw her eyebrows quirk.

"'Fraulein?'" she laughed. "God, Georg, what the hell happened to you? I don't think you've ever greeted me so stiffly before." She smirked. "Well, maybe part of you has."

She inched closer to him and put her hand on his chest. He saw she had no gloves on and her nails were painted the same sickening red. With care he removed her hand from his chest and regarded her coolly.

"I think," he said, "It would be best if you kept your hands to yourself."

She pouted. "You want to play this game do you? Fine, I'll play. I was getting sick of Lieutenant Fischer anyway."

"I am not playing any games," he said evenly. "I am here with my fiancée."

"Fiancée?" she stared at him incredulously. "Don't tell me you are actually marrying Elsa? She's such a bore."

"No, I am not marrying Elsa," Georg said, trying not to look around too much. "I've met someone else, her name is Maria Rainer."

Nora frowned. "Never heard of her."

"Well now you have," he said.

Nora smirked and looked at her nails. "Not just making her up, are we?"

Georg went to respond when he heard the sound of Maria's voice calling his name.

"Oh!" Maria said as she came to stand next to him, looking between him and Nora. "I've been looking for you everywhere." She faced Nora and said brightly, "Hello!"

Nora smiled. "Hello, you must be Maria." And Georg saw her give Maria a scrutinising look from head to toe.

"How do you do?" asked Maria politely.

Before Nora could speak, Georg quickly said, "Maria, this is Leonora Mayer."

If Georg had given thought to what his worst nightmare would be, this certainly would have ranked in the top three. He wanted to get Maria away before Nora could say anything that gave Maria any idea as to who she was.

"Nice to meet you," said Maria happily.

"I love your dress," said Nora with an impish smile.

"Oh, uh, thank you," Maria said. "Yours is lovely too, it's very, uh, red."

Placing a gentle hand on the small of Maria's back, he went to guide her inside but the woman followed them. She continued to chat idly to Maria, who seemed happy enough to talk to her. Once they were inside, he came across Count Ziegler once more who was intent on discussing the finer points of fox hunting. With the man booming happily away, Georg was unable to stop himself from being dragged away by the man. He cast a glance in the direction of Maria but she simply just gave him a content smile and waved him off, turning her attention back to his worst nightmare.

* * *

"You are very lucky," Leonora said.

Maria turned away from Georg and gave the woman a quizzical look. "How so?"

"Getting to marry a man like that," Leonora explained, nodding her head towards the Captain.

Maria smiled and said, "Yes, I am. He is a very brave and caring man."

The woman was giving Maria an odd look and she was making her feel decidedly uncomfortable. She wasn't dressed like anyone else at the party; she wore no gloves – which according to Liesl were a must. And she was so _red_. She made Maria feel like she was a postulant in her ugly grey dress all over again. Maria was sure Sister Berthe would have had a heart attack at the sight of this woman. Leonora seemed pleasant enough but there was just something about her that made Maria feel like she was a bug Louisa had found and decided to examine under a large magnifying glass. She felt small and unimportant, like she knew nothing.

"Hmm yes, that is true," said the woman. "But I meant more, he's very good at satisfying any needs you might have."

Maria frowned and stared at the woman, who just continued to give her the same odd look.

"Um, I suppose so," said Maria awkwardly. "He's very generous."

Leonora laughed. "Oh, dearest. I meant he's good in bed."

Maria was sure her face must have been a picture of shock, horror and embarrassment as the woman patted her hand gently.

"I'm sorry," Leonora said with a small laugh. "I've never been one for holding myself back. I didn't mean to startle you, but we are women after all."

"Fraulein Mayer," Maria stumbled, trying desperately to think of something to say as she felt her cheeks burn red to match the woman's dress.

"Oh, please, call me Nora."

 _Nora_.

Maria felt sick. Suddenly all the champagne (well, two glasses) she had consumed was now fizzing in her stomach. This woman had- with him-

"Dearest, are you all right?" the woman asked, putting her hand on Maria's arm.

Maria hastily moved her arm away. "Yes, no- uh." She looked around wildly. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Without another word, Maria headed away from the crowd and snuck back outside. The chill in the air was sharp and the shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders didn't help much. But she welcomed the slight bite of cold and the cool breeze that swept over her.

"What are you doing out here?" came a sharp voice.

Swiping a tear away with the back of her gloved hand, Maria came face to face with Lady von Trapp. "Oh, um, nothing. I was-"

The woman frowned and rummaged in her purse before handing Maria an embroidered handkerchief. "Please, use this."

"Thank you," Maria said quietly, taking it gratefully.

"Now," said Lady von Trapp. "Why are you out here snivelling like one of my grandchildren?"

Despite being upset, Maria felt her irritation flare up. "I wasn't snivelling. I'm not a child."

"Hmm," said the woman, raising an eyebrow at her. "Could have fooled me."

Maria bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop a retort escaping her lips. This woman was certainly not easy to get along with.

"I'll ask again, why are you out here crying like a baby?"

Maria sniffed, and ignoring the fact that the woman had just called her a baby, said, "It's nothing important."

"Then I don't understand why you are crying," Lady von Trapp said smoothly. "You didn't strike me as a stupid girl, but maybe I was wrong. It doesn't happen often but I'm open to the idea that mistakes do happen."

Maria said nothing; her thoughts kept replaying how she had come across Georg with that woman - _Nora_. He had seemed uncomfortable, and now she could understand why. And it wasn't necessarily that Maria was upset because of the woman herself, it was more how she had made Maria feel: inexperienced, naïve, innocent. Like a _child_. Maybe Lady von Trapp was right; maybe she was acting like a child. She had been constantly telling people not to treat her like one and now here she was crying because they had gone and treated her like an adult. It just made Maria wonder what Georg saw in her, he was clearly used to such confident women – not girls with bad tempers and a tendency to trip on the edge of their ball gown. She had felt so confident after the encounter in the library that she had been bold enough to even drag him into the ballroom the next day! But she didn't feel like that now.

"I saw you were speaking with that Nora woman, did she say something unsavoury?" Lady von Trap asked sharply. "She has no class whatsoever." She sighed loudly as she smoothed down her fur stole. "I don't know how she gets in to these sort of parties."

"You know who she is?" Maria asked.

"Of course I do," Lady von Trapp said, giving Maria a sharp look. "My son, while a brave and fine man, is still capable of being an utter idiot. He has done some incredibly stupid things – things that make me glad his father wasn't alive to see – and that woman was one of them."

Maria didn't know quite what to say to that and just stared back at Lady von Trapp.

"But I do not think that deciding to marry you was a mistake."

Maria blinked. "You don't?"

The older woman cleared her throat. "While I would have been happy to have him marry Elsa Schraeder, I know it would not have made him, or the children, happy." Maria saw the woman twitch her fingers and she couldn't help the quirk of her lips, no wonder Georg didn't get along with his mother – they were so alike. "And I do want him to be happy." She gave a mocking laugh as she looked out over the sprawling grounds. "Despite what he may think." Turning her gaze back to Maria, she added. "There is nothing worse than seeing your own child suffer, no matter how old he may be."

"Have you ever told him this?" Maria asked.

"No," said Lady von Trapp. "And you won't either. Now, forget about that woman and go back in to the party. My son is marrying you, not her. And while I cannot fathom what you see in him, I understand what he sees in you."

She gave Maria a quick, awkward pat on the shoulder.

"You are going to be a von Trapp, young lady, and we do not cry in corners," Lady von Trapp said, reverting back to her no-nonsense tone of voice.

"You're right," Maria said. "I am acting like a child." She wiped her face again with the handkerchief. "Thank you."

She gave Maria something that may have been a smile before it was replaced by the usual expression of haughty disdain.

"And remember, that's your handkerchief and that's your glove. Don't confuse the one with the other."

Maria smiled to herself as the woman swept away.

* * *

 **A/N** I think this is the longest I've taken to post an update for this story haha But it was my birthday on Tuesday (didn't get a pink parasol, boo) and I was also struggling with this chapter, I'm still not completely happy with it but ah well.

I've read a few stories where Maria can't speak French, but in real life she must have because it's one of the subjects she teaches Maria (Louisa), as mentioned in her book, so I went with that. The italics were to indicate they were speaking another language, I hope that made sense.

*Song lyrics from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella – 'Stepsisters Lament'.  
Also, I threw in a nod to My Fair Lady because it's been my favourite musical and movie since I was four.


	15. The Second Waltz

Chapter Fifteen  
The Second Waltz  
 _-Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich_

* * *

Trying his best not to run through the ballroom, Georg headed back towards where he'd left Nora and Maria. But he stopped short when he saw Nora talking with a group of women, none of whom were Maria. Two of the ladies were the ones that had tried, miserably, to flirt with him earlier this evening. Taking a deep breath, he approached the group.

"Good evening, ladies," he said.

The women all turned to face him, all giving him their own best impression of an ogling idiot.

"Where is Maria?" he asked Nora, ignoring the rest of the women.

Nora looked momentarily uncomfortable before she waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, I think she felt a little ill." She smiled. "I'm sure she's fine – probably just nervous."

"I guess she's not used to these sort of things, Captain von Trapp," simpered one of the ladies. "Poor dear."

Ignoring the woman's comment, he simply aimed another inquiring look at Nora who just gave him another overly large smile. He had a deep suspicion that she had said something to Maria – he wouldn't put it past her. And he knew most of these women would not be talking to Nora because they liked her, nobody really did – well, save the men. She was a source of gossip, and was therefore tolerated by the rest of the women for just that.

Most likely, they had seen Nora with him and Maria, and had swooped in like vultures to get the latest gossip. It made him want to be sick. He surreptitiously glanced around the ballroom but there was no sign of his fiancée. There were just groups of people chatting, couples dancing to the orchestra and a few men sitting in the smoking room.

He was aware of one of the women talking to him and he tuned in.

"… isn't that so, Captain?" said the woman.

"Do forgive me, I didn't catch that," he said.

The woman gave him a sickly smile. "I was just saying it must be so hard for your... fiancée with all the things she has to learn. A party like this must be quite a change for her." The woman saw his gaze drift over towards the dancing couples again. "I imagine she mustn't know how to dance either, the poor girl."

Georg simply raised his eyebrows and was about to excuse himself when he felt a hand on his arm.

* * *

Humming a few bars of a song, Maria made her way back into the party. She was not going to let these women get her down. And Lady von Trapp was right; the Captain had asked her to marry him. Even though she had no money, no family, no name. None of that mattered.

She spotted him surrounded by a group of women and she shook her head. Watching him as he interacted, she could see the stiff set of his shoulders and the occasional flex of his fingers. It reminded her of the day she'd arrived and he'd instructed her about the rules of the house. It was the same posture, same set of the jaw. He looked decidedly agitated.

Trying her best to recall the way Henrietta moved – a sort of effortless glide, she did her best to walk serenely up to the group. As she approached, she caught the tail end of their conversation.

 _"….I imagine she mustn't know how to dance either, the poor girl."_

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I believe I must steal the Captain away," Maria said smoothly, placing a hand on his arm. "I owe him a _dance_."

Biting her cheek to stop the grin spreading across her face at the surprised looks on the women's faces, Maria took his hand and guided him towards the other dancing couples, doing her best not to turn around.

"I'm sorry, but where is my fiancée?" Georg asked as they headed towards the other couples moving about the ballroom floor.

"What ever do you mean?" Maria said casually.

"I've never heard you speak so courteously," he said. "Are you ill?"

Turning to face him, she said, "I thought it was what I was supposed to do?" Maria lifted her chin and added, "I'm going to be a baroness, haven't you heard?"

Georg raised an eyebrow at her as he took her into his arms. "Hmm."

"Besides," Maria said, the façade falling away, "I _do_ owe you a dance."

Moving into the crowd of dancing couples, he guided her across the floor as the music surrounded them. The notes of the waltz, the feel of his hand on her waist and the way his eyes bored into hers were suddenly the only things that she was aware of. It was as if the rest of the party had faded away, like some surreal dream.

They moved effortlessly across the marbled tiles, their hands moving in intricate patterns as their feet took them around the room. Slowly, they moved closer, the dance bringing their bodies together before she would spin back out again. It was torturous and wonderful at the same time, and Maria couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as they danced. Georg's eyes never left hers as they moved, their arms and hands linking and twisting as they once more came closer together.

She felt his hot breath on her cheek and had to squash the immediate urge to kiss him. Thankfully, they were once more spinning away from each other, her dress twirling with the momentum before she was suddenly dancing with someone else. The man gave her a delighted smile and she smiled back politely, all the while watching Georg as she moved away from her, dancing with some middle aged woman. The notes of the waltz had picked up, the tempo increasing as they moved even faster than before. And then she was dancing once more with Georg, his hand gripping her waist. The rest of the room was a blur of glowing candles and bright ball gowns as Georg guided her across the floor. And then the next thing she knew, his hands were guiding her arms up in the air as he hands glided down her arms so he could lift her up in the air. Her eyes locked with his as he spun her around before slowly lowering her to the ground once more. It became an effort to draw breath with his face only an inch away from hers, and she felt her heart speed up as his eyes pierced right through her. It felt like an eternity but it must have been a matter of seconds because she was suddenly whisked away by some young man with an overpowering cologne.

It was like something out of dream. She had never imagined that she would be at a party like this, and that she would be dancing! It would have been perfect if it was just with her Captain, she thought, as she was suddenly spinning even further away from him as she was once again dancing with some other man. There was a sound that may have been the man saying hello and asking her name but she was too busy keeping her eyes on her fiancé as he effortlessly moved some other woman across the floor. His eyes were locked on hers as they danced on opposite sides of the ballroom before they were once again brought together. He was bringing her back towards him, much closer than the dance intended as they twirled about the room.

The song finally came to an end and they slowly stopped moving, though her Captain made no move to release her. She felt his hand tighten around her waist once more and she swallowed as she saw the unmistakable gleam in his eyes. _Oh help_ , she thought. She idly wondered if anyone else could see it. Well, how could they not at least _feel_ it?

Glancing around the room, as the rest of the guests applauded the orchestra, she saw nobody was paying them any attention – except for the group of women still standing in a tightly knitted group with Nora. She threw them a smile and faced Georg once more, who was still staring at her.

"Georg?" she asked, surprised to hear how breathless she sounded. "Are you all right?"

"Let's go."

Bewildered by his odd behaviour, she just smiled and followed him as they weaved their way through the couples as another song struck up. They finally left the large ballroom and were walking into the empty hall. Maria kept her eyes on his face, as the sound of their shoes echoed down the large corridor.

Once they were far enough down the large corridor, he stopped and rounded on her.

"What did those men say to you?" he asked.

"What men?" Maria replied, her brow knitting with confusion.

"The men that danced with you," he said irritably.

"Oh." Maria shrugged. "I don't know, I wasn't really listening."

There was a heavy silence and then realisation dawned, he was jealous. And at that Maria couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked.

"Are you-" she paused, shook her head and then continued in a whisper, "Are you jealous?"

The myriad of emotions that flicked over his face was incredible. It was like he had managed to stick his mouth together with caramel and was struggling to chew it. Maria couldn't help but let out another laugh of disbelief.

"You're jealous because some other men danced with me?" she asked again.

"No," he said carefully, clearing his throat. "They just seemed overly friendly." He brought himself up straighter. "I just wanted to make sure they weren't making you uncomfortable."

"I think the only person that is uncomfortable is you," Maria said.

He gave her a piercing look. "I didn't like them touching you."

"It was just a dance," Maria said. "Besides, they were just being friendly." She raised an eyebrow. "At least I'm not off alone talking with my previous-" she stopped and waved a hand irritably. "Conquests."

His face froze at that. "Uh, you, uh…" Georg grasped her hand and said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I had no idea she would be here."

"It's all right, Georg," Maria said.

The look on his face said he clearly didn't believe her.

"Well, at first I wasn't okay," Maria admitted softly. "It was more how she made me feel – not really who she was. She made me like I was a postulant again in my dress not even the poor wanted." She looked down at her the hem of her ball gown. "I know you have a past and there were women before me." Glancing back up at him she gave him a weak smile. "If there hadn't been, I wouldn't have met you."

"You're not a postulant, Maria," he said gently. "You're going to-"

"I know, I know," Maria interjected with a sigh. "I'm going to be a baroness. But I still feel like that girl sometimes."

"If you would let me finish," he said, feigning annoyance, "I was going to say you are going to be my wife." He brought the hand he was still holding up and tugged the glove off so he could kiss the top of her hand. "At the end of the day, that's what matters."

Maria smiled and he gave her hand another kiss, the touch sending a delicious little thrill down her spine. She was suddenly aware that they were alone, and she recognised in his eyes that he had come to same conclusion. The small quirk of his lips and the wicked gleam in his eyes made the tension knot low in Maria's stomach and she edged closer to him in anticipation. His hand, still holding her glove, moved up to cup her face as-

"There you two are!"

They both jumped, guilt painted on both their faces, to see Max striding down the length of the corridor. He reached the pair and gave them both a knowing look.

"So, what excuse are you going to give me?"

"No excuse. Maria simply lost her glove," Georg said calmly, waving the offending item. "And we just found it."

Max's eyebrows lifted. "Ah yes, it got all the way out here, did it?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Can't trust those gloves, disappear as soon as your backs turned, don't they?"

"Indeed," agreed Georg.

Maria stayed silent, it was always interesting watching Max and Georg talk. They seemed to speak in some weird code, never actually saying what they meant and talking nonsense. Well, that wasn't true – it all made sense what they said but everything had some double meaning. It gave Maria a headache. And most of the time it seemed that Max had the upper hand, despite what Georg thought.

"I'm always losing things," Maria said with a smile aimed at Max. "And I'm not used to gloves, silly me."

"Yes, silly you," Max said with a chuckle and then turned to Georg. "Now, your sister is getting a little too, ah, forthright, and I think we need to head home."

Georg shook his head and headed back inside to fetch his sister. Maria had to stifle a laugh as she watched Georg help Hede into the car. She wasn't too drunk, but Lady von Trapp had had enough of her daughter and wanted to leave before she did something scandalous. Arriving back at the villa, it was so nice to finally be in the quiet. As much as she had enjoyed the party – it was nice to be _home_.

* * *

Shrugging out of his jacket and waistcoat, Georg gave a sigh of relief as he walked into his study. It was so good to be back home, away from the noise and endless hoards of gossips. He moved over to the large leather couch and sat down, taking the cross off from around his neck. There was a low fire still burning in the grate from earlier that day and Georg closed his eyes as he lay down the length of the lounge as he loosened his bowtie.

He still couldn't believe Nora had been there, he had been so anxious about Maria realising who she was. All he had wanted was to avoid Maria getting upset again; he couldn't stand to see her hurt – or have her look at him the way she had. The sound of her laughter and the sight of her smile meant so much to him. It made his day that much brighter knowing she was happy.

But of course she had found out. However, she had not reacted as he had expected. And he couldn't help but admire her strength. If it had been him- Georg shuddered and couldn't help but clench his hands into fists at the thought. He couldn't even stand some other men dancing with her, letting alone the thought of someone _touching_ her. He knew he was being irrational but a small part of him did worry that she'd wake up one day and realise she'd married a man twice her age, who had with seven children. It was a lot to ask of someone.

Seeing her dancing away with some of the younger men had made him more uncomfortable than he anticipated. He sighed and tried to make his body relax into the lounge.

"Are you all right?"

He opened his eyes and stared up into the face of Maria, who was peering over the lounge, her blue eyes wide with concern as part of her shawl dangled a few inches from his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting up on his elbows.

She walked around the lounge and perched herself on the edge next to him.

"I came to say goodnight," she said, giving him a smile.

"Where are Hede and Henrietta?" he asked.

"I gave Henrietta the slip while she made sure Hede was all right," Maria said with a grin. "She thinks I'm in my room." Her smile faltered. "You didn't answer me, are you all right?"

It was tempting to just lie and brush it off, but he needed to know. He sat up straighter and asked, "Does it bother you... how much older I am than you?"

Maria's face changed into surprise and confusion. "What? No." She peered at him. "Does it bother you that I am younger?"

"No," he said honestly and shifted uncomfortably. "I'm just worried you might realise one day that you've married an old man."

She gave him a large smile. "I won't realise, I know I will have." At the expression on his face, her eyes softened and she added, "Georg, I love you. I don't care. I was just teasing; you scowl just like Gretl when you get annoyed. It's adorable."

He frowned.

"Like that!" she said, laughing.

"I am many things, but I am not adorable," he said shortly as she continued to laugh.

"I'm sorry, but you are to me," she said simply. "I promise I won't tell anyone. It'll be our secret." She gave him one of her 'governess' looks and added, "Besides, you always tease me to try and make me blush, I should get to do something too."

"Mmm," he said, reaching for her around the waist and pulling her across him, snuggling into the leather of couch as he did. "But you _are_ adorable when you blush."

Her face was a few inches from his as she lay sprawled on top of him, her eyes gazing down at him. When he saw her lick her lips and bite down on her bottom lip, he brought her face towards his. He could still taste the faint trace of champagne, and the chocolate dessert from the party, on her tongue. It was heaven. And the lovely weight of her on top of him had suddenly brought his spirits right up. He wasn't ever going to let her go, he would never let her go.

There was a soft sigh from her as she buried her head into the crook of his neck and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close so she fit perfectly. _Definitely never letting her go_ , he thought.

* * *

A/N Wow, a short chapter from me. This is mostly a filler but I hope you enjoy anyway. This song wasn't around back then but it's a wonderful waltz and if you search Youtube for "Anna Karenina Waltz Scene 2012" you will find the dance I was inspired by - though I changed it a bit so they dance with other people too.


	16. Lullaby

Chapter Sixteen  
Lullaby  
 _\- Bond_

* * *

Breathing had always been something Maria had no problem with, but over the last few weeks it had become something of a chore. Every time her fiancé so much as looked at her, he seemed to steal the air within her lungs without even so much as trying. But it had begun before that. The first time she had felt her breath hitch in her throat and the heat of a blush crawl up her neck and paint her cheeks had been altogether startling and indescribable. Nobody had ever elicited such a reaction from her body before Captain Georg von Trapp.

This man had made her body unable to do the simplest of tasks; things that usually required little to no thought whatsoever normally. He could steal her breath; make her heart race and her blood surge. Standing sometimes was too much effort. He'd send her one of his devastatingly charming smiles over dinner and she would thank God that she was already sitting because she _knew_ if she hadn't been, her knees would have given way and she'd probably be a weak mess on the floor.

Maria wondered whether this would ever cease, was it even possible for her to not blush when she saw the unmistakable gleam of desire in his eyes? Would she ever be able to remain calm and collected after his mouth had ravaged her? Could she dare hope to still the mad beat her heart pounded inside her chest anytime he touched her? Both her head and her heart agreed that all of this was unlikely to change. And part of her did hope that it never would. He made her feel like she was the most precious person in the whole world. He made her feel loved, safe and wanted. Three things that Maria had not felt in a very long time and had desperately craved – craved so much she had even convinced herself at one point that a convent was the place where she would find them.

All of these thoughts raced through Maria's head as she sat in her old postulant chamber. She looked over at the small crucifix hanging on one of the walls and smiled. This room felt so small. And not just in terms of size - because it certainly wasn't a small room as she had shared it with three other girls, but she felt like she'd outgrown it. She wasn't the same girl anymore, she'd changed – she'd grown up.

For so long she'd hoped she be sitting where she was now, waiting impatiently to take her vows and start her new life. However, the vows she was taking today were not the same ones she'd once dreamt of taking. She wasn't pledging her life to God today, but agreeing to spend her life with the man she loved. Agreeing to become both a wife and a mother. Her heart felt full, like it was bursting. And while she was riddled with nerves, after waiting long weeks for this day, she was more than ready to walk down the long aisle to her Captain.

"Maria?"

Maria tore her eyes away from the crucifix and looked into the kind eyes of the Reverend Mother. She didn't think it was possible but she felt her heart swell even more at the gentle faced woman. Over the past few weeks since she'd informed the Reverend Mother of her engagement to Georg, she'd come and visited her, and the Sisters, here at the abbey. While she may be leaving them, they will always be apart of her family – even Sister Berthe. But the Reverend Mother would always hold a special place in Maria's heart, she'd been like a mother to Maria. She had realised how patient and forgiving this woman had been with her. While she'd known this, she'd truly come to appreciate what the Mother Abbess had done for her. After all, she'd taken Maria in and given her a home. Forgiven her countless times for her minor (and sometimes not so minor) mistakes.

The Reverend Mother extended her hands towards Maria and she took them gratefully as she followed the woman out of her old room and into a small chamber where Sister Berthe, Sister Margaretta and a few others sisters were waiting. Hanging on the wall was her wedding dress and it seemed to shine in the softly lit room. It was really happening.

In a sort of daze, Maria was helped into her dress – Sister Berthe muttering under her breath all the while about her undergarments and the practicality of such items. Maria had had to stifle a giggle as the Reverend Mother politely told Sister Berthe that the nature of such things were not worn for their practical nature which had caused the Mistress of Novices' eyebrows to disappear into her wimple and give a small grunt of disapproval.

As the nuns fixed the wreath of ivy on Maria's head and helped with her long veil, Maria felt her breath once again threaten to leave her. She could hear the church bells ringing in the distance and her heart began to race as she stood after being blessed by the Reverend Mother. Leaving the small chamber, she walked slowly and carefully through the halls of Nonnberg with the nuns until they reached the gates to the large and ornate chapel.

* * *

The last week had been a blur for Georg. He could barely remember anything – save for a few stolen moments with his bride. After the party a week ago, they'd fallen asleep on the lounge in his study only to be rudely awoken by Henrietta an hour later. She'd given them a stern talking to before dragging his beloved away but as Maria had been pulled away from him, she turned and given him a smile that had made his heart race and all blood leave his head. It was the kind of smile that haunted him in his dreams, it seemed to promise so much – even if she didn't know it herself.

It had been hard, more than hard – it had been impossibly challenging to say goodbye to her last night. It shouldn't have made a difference whether she was in the house or not, after all they didn't share a room – yet. And so where she slept shouldn't really matter. But it was like both him and the house could feel her presence was missing. It was the first night they'd been separated since their engagement and he was going to do his best to make sure it was the last time ever.

The younger children had missed her putting them to bed and he knew the older children missed her as well, so used to her being a permanent part of the house. But Maria had insisted she spend her last night at Nonnberg Abbey and he had understood. It had been her home and it would still always be a part of her.

He let out a long sigh and shifted on his feet as he heard the church bells ring out. Turning his back to the priest in the chapel, he looked down the long aisle towards the gates. There was a flurry of black as he saw a few nuns appear until a vision in white stepped up to the gate. She was too far away to see any details but he could feel her from all the way over there. His Maria. His Fraulein. His _wife_.

While Maria had always felt that Georg had the power to render her both breathless and speechless, Georg knew that she would always have the power to undo him - to strip away any façade he had carefully constructed. With a simple smile or a laugh, she could strip away everything and leave his heart bare for her to take.

There was the sound of the large organ as the chords of the procession began to play and he drew in a deep breath as he watched his two youngest daughters begin to walk hand in hand down the aisle, closely followed by Liesl. Letting the breath out, he stood up straight and let the sound of music wash over him as he waited for his bride.

* * *

Maria paused at the gate and felt the Reverend Mother stand next to her as she stared down the impossibly long aisle. It was filled with people and the sight caused her nerves to start up once more. In the distance she could see Georg, he seemed so far away but there was no mistaking him. She clasped her hands together and turned to the Reverend Mother.

"You should be giving me away," Maria said, her voice thick with emotion. "You should be walking with me."

"You belong to no-one but yourself," replied the Reverend Mother, her kind eyes crinkling as she smiled. "And you know exactly where you're going."

Maria nodded as the Reverend Mother grasped her hands one last time and squeezed them gently before opening the large iron gate. Stepping over the threshold, Maria was greeted by Liesl, who handed her a bouquet of flowers and gave her a reassuring smile. The chords of the procession picked up and Maria squared her shoulders before taking her first few steps down the aisle after Liesl.

As she moved closer, her eyes firmly fixed on Georg as he came more into view, her heart raced and she had to still the impulse to run to him. It felt like forever as she walked down the aisle, hundred of eyes watching her as she passed them. She kept her pace though and before long, Georg was extending his hand out towards her and she took it gratefully. The smile that tugged at his lips and the reassuring warmth of his hand gave her a boosted sense of confidence and they took the last few steps together before the priest.

The Reverend Mother was right, Maria thought, she knew exactly where she was going and that was with her Captain – she would never fail to take his hand and she knew in her heart that he would never let it go.

 _The End._

* * *

 **A/N** Thank you to everyone that has followed and reviewed this story. It started out as a one-shot and then kind of spiralled out of control from there. I do plan to do an epilogue (probably something deliciously M rated) but for now I am marking this as complete!

The song 'Lullaby' by Bond is a modern rendition of Johann Pachelbel's 'The Canon and Gigue in D Major'. It's very commonly played at weddings but it's such a beautiful piece of music so I don't care if it's cliché haha

The last two spoken lines between the RM and Maria are stolen from _Call The Midwife_.


	17. Epilogue

**A/N** Here it is, finally! This chapter is rated M, but not as delicious as I wanted but ah well, I hope those that wanted this enjoy it anyway.  
I will change the rating soon but notifications aren't working for some people (myself included) so I will leave it T so people can see it has been updated so that those who wish to read it, can :)

* * *

Epilogue

After six long weeks of waiting and anticipation, the day had gone by so fast that Maria was struggling to believe it had actually happened. If it wasn't for the dress she was wearing, she could have believed she'd dreamt the whole thing.

The reception had been held at the Hotel Bristol in a large, decadent room filled with chandeliers that shimmered over towers of champagne, a large ornate wedding cake covered with small blossoms of edelweiss and the multitude of guests that flitted throughout the large room as they danced and laughed. Maria had had her hand shaken and kissed more times than she could remember and the names of many aristocrats had all gone in one ear and out the other. She hadn't had ears or eyes for anything other than her husband.

Covering her mouth to stop the unladylike giggle that threatened to spill out, Maria gave a small cough and then smoothed her dress down.

Her _husband_.

The giggle threatened against her lips again at the thought. It was all so surreal. She had a husband. It was such a strangely happy thought that she couldn't keep the ridiculous smile off her face. Throwing her hands up she let herself fall back and sink into the large bed she'd been sitting on and stared up at the gilded ceiling. She sighed and brought her hands to rest on her stomach and fiddled with the buttons that ran along the edge of her sleeve.

"What are you doing?"

Propping herself up on her elbows, Maria stared at the man in front of her. Georg had disappeared down to reception for a moment and had returned with a bottle of champagne in one hand and two glasses in the other. He was smirking at her with a look of great amusement as he shut the door behind him.

"Just thinking," Maria replied, as he placed the bottle and glasses on a nearby table.

"To be honest, I'm surprised to find you not jumping on the bed," he said.

"I was tempted," Maria replied smoothly. "Though, it didn't seem a very dignified thing for a baroness to do."

"Mmm."

Maria felt her heart speed up as he stared at her from the foot of the bed. She'd been waiting so long for this moment that now it was here she didn't know what on earth she was supposed to do. She felt awkward all of a sudden and forced herself to sit up once more.

"Um, Geo-" she began but faltered as he took two long strides towards her and gently pulled her up on her feet to face him.

Running his hands up along her arms, Georg felt her shiver as she continued to stare wide eyed at him with her lips still parted in surprise. He wanted to savour this moment for as long as possible, though the temptation to rip the wedding dress off her was quite appealing.

"You look beautiful," he whispered and he felt her tremble as his hands cupped her face.

Maria felt her face blush at the compliment and instinctively tried to drop her head to look at her feet but he tilted her face back up to look at him. The look they shared robbed her lungs of breath and she felt her pulse race.

"You are, Maria," he said, his thumb stroking her face. "I don't want you to hide away from me."

She gave a small nod of the head and whispered, "I-I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Whatever you think feels right," he replied. "We have all the time in the world, no need to rush."

Slowly, he leant forward and closed the small distance between them as he caught her lips with his own. Georg felt her small hands move to grip his shoulders and was aware of the heavenly sigh that escaped her. He tried his best to keep the kiss somewhat slow, not wanting to overload her too quickly. But it was difficult to resist when her fingers were digging into his shoulder through the thick fabric of his jacket and she was pressing herself insistently against him.

Maria's body suddenly felt like it had been lit on fire. And she desperately tried to bring herself closer to him, hating how thick his official uniform was. His mouth was devouring hers and she could feel the steel like grip of his hand on her waist as the other found its way into her hair. The feel of his lips moving against hers and the delicious pressure of his hand on her waist was making Maria's head spin. And then she felt him nibble on her lower lip before his mouth was trailing hot, wet kisses down her neck where he nipped at the pulse that surely must have been thundering at the base. It was heaven and hell all at once. The more he kissed her, the more she needed and she moved her hands to grip at the nape of his neck, relishing in the feel of his hot skin underneath her hand.

"Darling…" he breathed as they broke apart for air.

Georg watched her face, which was flushed with her eyes dark, as she stared up at him. He needed her out of her dress; the overwhelming need to feel her skin was driving him insane. Trying to calm himself, he took a deep breath as he stepped back from her before he walked behind her. All throughout the reception he'd been staring at the back of her dress, unable to think of anything else but undoing the long line of pearl buttons that lined her spine. Staring at them now, he reached out and slowly began to undo them. He heard the hitch in her breath as his fingers slowly did their work, exposing the soft skin of her back. He got about halfway down until the sight of her lingerie caused him to pause. He let his hands glide over her back so he could touch the shimmering silk and lace. She gave a small moan and Georg felt a heady rush of desire shoot right through him.

Maria felt like every single nerve of her body was hyperaware of Georg as he resumed undoing the buttons of her dress. The feel of his fingers grazing against her skin as he went was slowly turning her mind into an incoherent mess. She could barely think and standing was slowly starting to become an effort. There was the feel of warm air on the back of her neck before she felt his mouth kiss the tender patch of skin behind her ear. A soft sigh escaped her lips as he turned her around to face him and her breath caught in her throat. The look on his face threatened to make her fall to her knees; his eyes were a deep blue and they held her gaze with intensity unlike anything she'd experienced before.

With their gaze locked, he grasped one wrist and drew it up to his mouth where he placed a kiss on the back of her hand before he slowly began to undo the buttons that lined her sleeve, all the while his mouth never left her skin. Maria could do little else but watch with her mouth open. Her eyes closed, and she relished in the sensation of him undressing her.

"Maria," Georg beckoned slowly.

He watched her as she blinked slowly before her gaze refocused onto him. She glanced down at her hands, seeming to notice that he'd managed to unbutton both her sleeves before she looked back up at him once more.

Maria could feel that her dress was only just hanging on by her shoulders at this point and she could see the unasked question in his eyes. But she wasn't scared now, and she wasn't unsure. Her whole body was thrumming with an unexplainable excited tension and she was sure, so very sure, that she wanted the man in front of her. _All_ of him.

So, she gripped the top of the dress where it sat on her shoulders, in a move that displayed more confidence than she really felt, and let it fall down and pool around her feet. The feel of cool air hit her skin and she felt the blush begin to colour her face but she kept her eyes fixed on Georg, not willing to back down this time.

"Well," he said, his voice a low purr. "You look breathtaking."

In the soft light of the room, the vision in front of him looked like some heavenly angel. He could still see that she was clearly nervous, and so he brought her towards him, relishing in the feel of her soft skin underneath his hands. As they kissed, Georg could feel her hands gripping madly at the jacket he wore and she pressed herself against him, her hips slotting against his.

He had been trying, with great effort, to control his instinct to just claim her immediately. But as soon as she pressed her hips against his, his body burst with hot desire. A growl left his throat as he pressed back against her, trying to gain some relief. The next thing he knew was that he was towering over her as she lay splayed out on the soft bed. Trying to rein in some self-control, he took in a shuddering deep breath and reached out to undo the three small buttons on the front of her bra. Pushing the fabric away, Georg swallowed hard at the sight of her bare breasts in front of him as she looked up at him.

Maria, feeling her bravado fail, moved to cover herself but he pushed her hands gently away and let his hands trail over her exposed flesh. She felt her nipples harden in response and felt an inviting tug between her legs. When he lowered his head and gently tugged at a nipple with his teeth she felt tingles shoot through her and a moan tore it's way out of her throat. This seemed to send him over some sort of edge, as his hands were suddenly not as tender and gentle as they had been but were now frantically moving over her as he kissed and licked his way across her body.

It was all driving her insane, and she was struggling to keep a single rational thought in her head. All she needed was more and so she tried to grip his jacket and push it off his shoulders. While her head didn't seem to know what to do, her body seemed to, because as soon as he had thrown his jacket off, her hands were trying to pull his shirt free from his trousers, desperate to feel his skin.

Her mouth went dry as soon as the shirt was discarded, even though she'd seen his bare chest before. This was different. There was nothing to fear now. And she so desperately wanted to feel his skin against hers. She let her hands splay against his chest, his chest hair tickling her palms as she did. Maria could feel his heartbeat underneath one hand and the racing of it underneath his hot skin made her shudder. Throwing her hands around his neck, she brought him down against her, his body pressing against hers in the most delicious way. She could feel his arousal pressing insistently between her legs and she squirmed underneath him, trying to get some sort of friction.

"Darling," he breathed into her ear, his voice low and full of dark promises, "you need to be patient."

Pulling back from her slightly, he looked down at his new wife and tried to act like he had some sort of control left. Her eyes were half closed and he could see the few red marks he'd all ready left on her chest and neck. All he could think was: _mine_.

Letting his hands glide down her chest and down to her waist, he removed her stockings before trailing up her smooth legs. His fingers hooked into her knickers before he pulled them down. She gasped, her eyes flying open to look at him and he couldn't help but grin at her.

"While these are lovely," he said, holding up the silken fabric before tossing the knickers into a corner. "They are in the way, darling." His hands moved slowly up her thighs, his eyes locked with hers. His fingers finally grazed against her, the feel of wet heat nearly sending him over the edge as she bucked against him.

He continued to tease her, until she was writhing against the bed, her toes curling.

"Please," she whispered. "Georg, I-I need…"

"You need what, Maria? You need to tell me."

She bit down on her lip and pushed her hips against his hand. "More, _please_."

The sensations that hit her were overwhelming as she felt him finally slide his fingers inside her, creating a tension unlike she'd never felt before. Her body felt hot, her skin itching with an indescribable need as his hand managed to pull the most incredible feelings from her body. She was aware she was moaning and writhing, trying desperately to catch the elusive feeling that was just out of reach. And then something shattered and waves of pleasure rolled through her as her thoughts scattered.

She blinked dreamily a few times, and tried to focus on Georg as he hovered above her. The waves were slowly ebbing away but there was still the slight tension still thrumming through her veins. Without thinking, her eyes left his face and dropped to stare at his trousers. And she could so clearly see the evidence of his own arousal pressing against the fabric. The tension between her legs instantly multiplied and her gaze flicked back up towards his face.

Understanding the look in his new wife's eyes, Georg got off the bed and slowly undid his belt, the sound of it being pulled through the loops of his trousers loud in the room. Maria couldn't bring herself to look away, utterly fascinated as she watched him then unbutton and unzip his fly, letting the material hang for a moment. It was clear he was still asking for permission, and so, remembering what he had said, Maria spoke.

"Show me," she said, and her voice startled her. It sounded nothing like it normally did. " _Please_."

She was desperate to feel him against her; her body was craving more and so she let it take over, letting it guide her. With a tentative hand, she reached towards him and let her fingers graze against the bulge. All she could feel was heat and a hardness that seemed to speak to her body in some primal and unspoken language. She heard a low groan leave her husband's throat, and feeling emboldened, placed her palm firmly against him. With a flick of her eyes, she silently asked for him to help her – feeling unsure about to do next. Everything was so new, so surreal. And she watched in fascination as he removed the remainder of his clothing, freeing his straining arousal for her to see.

She swallowed hard, unable to look away. It was nothing like the statues she'd seen before, and it was slightly unnerving. But some part of her mind, some dark and primal part, mentally purred at the sight, causing a surge of want to pass through her veins.

Taking her hand, Georg brought it to clasp over his length and the feel of her small hand wrapped around him caused him to shudder. It was taking all of his strength to try and be slow with her, but he knew it was pointless. The sight of her swollen lips, her half lidded eyes, gloriously naked body and small hand stroking him was making his body, and mind, feel as if it was on fire.

Another moan left his throat and he gripped her roughly around the waist, forcing her to her knees on the bed so he could capture her lips in a demanding and mind melting kiss. Maria's mind was a blur, she could barely tell up from down. And her hand was still between them but she hastily withdrew it and delighted in the feel of skin on skin for the first time. His chest hair was tickling her breasts and the feel of his hardness pressing firmly between her own legs made her feel like she was going to faint.

"Darling," came the low and rough purr. "I can't wait any longer. I need you. Now."

Letting her lie back down again, Georg let his hands slide over her body, teasing her nipples before finding the nub between her legs that made her moan his name repeatedly into the hotel room. He teased her slowly before positioning himself above her, waiting until she was nearly on the brink before finally letting himself ease inside of her.

Maria gasped and her eyes flew open. It was the strangest sensation she had ever felt and when he finally pushed all the way through, it stung. But he didn't move, he just held her for what seemed like forever before the pain subsided and she felt herself being stretched and filled. In that moment, she had never felt more connected to another person before and she suddenly understood what he'd tried to explain to her about making love. She could feel his love her, in the way he held her, in the feel of his mouth crashing down onto hers before he started to move.

Lost in the feel of finally being inside of her, Georg couldn't control himself, he couldn't find it within himself to be gentle, to be tender; before he knew it, he was pining her down, anchoring her waist with his hands as he thrust into her. Her eyes had shut again, her mouth open as she moaned and muttered incoherent words beneath him.

"Open your eyes, Maria," he commanded. "I want to see you. All of you."

The intensity of his gaze on her was spellbinding, and Maria watched in lust filled fascination as his normally stoic face began to crumple as his long thrusts sped up frantically. The sensations sent her over the edge and before she knew it, her body was sending her through pleasure after pleasure as her climax rolled through her, and she desperately clutched at his shoulders, at his back - at any part of his sinfully hot and sweaty skin - trying to find something to hold onto before she was swept away.

There was the feel of his hands once more gripping roughly at her waist as he managed to sink even deeper within her. His maddening thrusts then lost any semblance of control until the man above her shuddered violently, a declaration of love on his lips before they were both finally swept away.

* * *

Her chin resting on her hand, Maria stared out the window of the train, watching the countryside as it sped past.

The journey to Paris would take them most of the day, and she couldn't deny she was eager to explore the new city. Couldn't wait to see the sights she had both Hede and Georg talk of. To taste the food. To hear the music.

But most of all, now that she had had him, she wanted more of her Captain. All she wanted was to reach their destination so she could spend the rest of the day doing exactly what they did last night. The feel of him over her, his hard length filling her, hadn't stop occupying her mind. And she felt like she was so much more aware of him. Like she had some kind of new sense – which was ridiculous – but she felt like she did all the same. It was as if there were now symphonies playing constantly in her head, each one different from the last, but all revolving around him. And now, she felt truly apart of it.


End file.
